A New Story, A New Future
by MomoPak
Summary: Monkey D. Luffy sets out to sea with his two brothers to find the treasure One Piece and has many troubles along the way -I do not own One Piece, everything would belong to Eiichiro Oda. -My first fanfic! So glad :D Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

**(Hello! It is nice to meet you all –bows- I've always wanted to write something, and I've been a fan of One Piece! So here you are! My first time =w= and I hope at least some of you enjoy! I hope it isn't horrible OAO, it probably is...well anyways again enjoy!)**

**Chapter 1-Beginning of A Crazy Childhood**

The moon was full that night and was shining down onto an island that was covered mostly by trees. This land was called the Goa Kingdom and was inhabited by many people, but right now we'll be focusing on a sandy beach and a village. Salty waves gently brushed against the sand and a small baby was washed up on the island. Surprisingly he was still alive and was buried in a bundle of blankets. He had black raven hair with a small smile on his face, unaware where he was. What was mostly distinctive about him were his fuzzy black cat ears atop his head that were twitching in his sleep. The small boy slept through the night and was still sleeping soundly in the morning. What made him so tired? Those are questions left to be unanswered. A ship docked at the island, and the ships mark was a seagull with an anchor. This mark was the marines mark and in the front of the ship was dog of some sort. The ship belonged to Admiral Garp, claimed hero of the Marines. The said man jumped out of the ship and walked along the beach. He strutted and the white bundle caught his eye. Walking over, he picked up the small boy and held him gently. Garp's face had softened considerably at the boy. For some reason he felt, relaxed and…happy? He noted the fuzzy ears on his head and decided to raise him, right there, right then.

-5 years later-

The same boy who was now named Monkey D. Luffy was currently being dropped off at a town. Garp was too busy with marine business and didn't want to leave him alone so he dropped him off at a bar called Party's Bar. The sign was hanging crookedly a little, the wood was old and some paint was chipping off, but otherwise the place was still durable and nice. Luffy blinked and beamed while running around the new place to explore, his tail trailing behind.

"Makino as you can see I have a troublesome package here and I wanted to ask if you could watch over him for me." Garp said while taking a seat in front of the woman. She had dark long green hair that was tied and had a gentle face with an apron tied around her back and shoulders. She had a long sleeved shirt on with jeans and sandals. Makino had a cloth tied around her head as she cleaned cups.

"Of course Garp I would love to watch over your child." She replied smiling at the boy who was currently squealing in delight and some beetles. At first she was a little shocked at his black furry ears and a bushy long tail sticking out from behind, but she found it cute and almost choked the boy with a hug. Luffy was a little mischievous and straight along with having a simple concept, but he could be sweet at times, she found out.

"Not my child I daresay, but he seems quite familiar and it appears I'm his grandfather, since he keeps calling me 'Gramps'." Garp said while sighing and Makino slightly laughed. He was old he admitted that, but he liked the kid and couldn't say no to his antics, especially when he gave that puppy look of his, he hoped it would wear off. Then he got annoyed at all the yelling and running around and hit Luffy on the head.

"OUCH!" Luffy cried while tending to his wound. "GRAMPS WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" He wailed.

"YOU'RE TOO LOUD!" Garp yelled while standing up and glaring at Luffy which in return gave the look back. And then the argument between the two began. Makino just laughed at their small quarrel and continued to clean the dishes.

"Well I'll take my leave then, it appears I'm going to be late." Garp said while looking outside and he began to walk until Luffy ran towards him, giving Garp a hug.

"Bye Gramps! See you next time you come!" Luffy said smiling, but the tears in his eyes were threatening to fall and his ears and tail drooped. He smiled and patted the boys head, ruffling his hair as he walked out, giving a silent goodbye. Weeks passed and Luffy began to like Makino as she was a kind woman and took care of him well. She even gave him a spare room upstairs in the bar! Two years had passed with Luffy in Foosha Village. Everyone came to know the boy and they all loved him, even though he could be rude at times. He was now seven and was in his bed when a yell came from the harbor.

"Pirates! Pirates are here!" the man yelled running around the town spreading the news like fire. Luffy sleepily rubbed his eyes as he heard running and Makino burst through the door slightly panting.

"Luffy make sure you stay here okay?" She said with a troubled look. Luffy just nodded too tired to think and fell back asleep on his comfy bed.

-Down at the Harbor-

"Well we found a place to rest!" A man cheerfully said. He had a white shirt with short brown pants a red sash tied around his waist and a black cape that was ruffling in the wind. Atop his head was a straw hat and tied around was a red ribbon. The ship had a figure head of a dragon and their jolly roger was a skull with two swords crossing it and on the left side of the skull was three lines that were filled in with red between each, this ship belonged to the pirate by the name of Shanks. He jumped off the ship and walked towards the group of people who were waiting in front of the ship, they appeared to be holding weapons and on guard. His first mate, Benn Beckman also went along with him, holding his rifle in case something may happen.

"Hello there villagers I think you don't need to be that tense!" The red haired man said smiling. Upon his face were three scars like the flag's mark. "We mean no harm; I and my crew just need a place to dock after adventures along with some rest and stock up on supplies." He explained.

"How do we not know that you're lying?" an old man stepped up. He was the mayor and was named Woop Slap. He had a cane and was wearing glasses with a hat. He wore a yellow T-shirt on with short pants and sandals. Some people readied their weapons in case of a fight. They weren't going to be controlled by fear, no; they were going to fight back when the time comes.

"Please, we really mean you no harm; let's not waste innocent lives trying to fight one another." The man repeated. "My name is Shanks, it's a pleasure to meet you." The mayor looked at him for a while and then turned around and consulted with some of the villagers, he turned around again after a while. Shanks and Benn just waited patiently.

"Very well as long as you don't cause trouble, and my name is Woop Slap, I'm the mayor of this town." He said, as they came to a conclusion. Shanks grinned and walked into the village as the people dispersed, but some still kept a close eye.

"Oi guys! We've been allowed to go inside the village!" Shanks yelled to his comrades. "Let's get to a bar! A bar!" he said while laughing and walking off. The shipmates also laughed along and followed while others stayed to guard the ship. They arrived at Party's Bar where Makino worked as a bartender. She greeted them instantly knowing they weren't that bad like normal pirates, but was worried about Luffy slightly, since these were pirates after all, she hoped he would stay asleep until they left. The whole bar turned into some sort of party and became loud as there were laughter, fights, and cheering. It became a lively place in a few seconds, even Makino laughed along.

"Mm…They're too loud…" Luffy whined sitting up and rubbed his eyes. His tail swished back and forth as his ears were flattened against his head to try and block out the noise. This picture would've been considered adorable to people's eyes, but he was alone at the moment, except for the ruckus downstairs. He took off his sleeping clothes and changed into a white T-shirt that had the word 'ANCHOR' and actually had a picture of one above the wording. He put on short blue pants slowly and walked downstairs. The noise grew louder and louder and the light blinded Luffy for a few moments.

"Makino…" Luffy wailed, searching for the kind woman. She instantly noticed him and rushed over. The boy's ears were now perked up and his tail was bristled, as he noticed the people.

"Luffy! Are you okay?" Makino asked worried. Luffy just nodded as he rubbed his eyes again and yawned. Makino sighed in relief, the boy was just tired and woke up, but now she needed to get him upstairs before someone notices…

"Makino, is everything alright over there?" Shanks asked looking over. Makino slightly panicked then because Luffy was a half cat. Which was rare and secondly, they were pirates! Who knows what they may do! Shanks raised a brow curious as to why Makino looked like she was going to go into a state of being hysterical. He silently looked over and saw what she was trying to hide. Oh.

"It's okay Makino we won't do anything to the cute lil fella over there!" Shanks said while grinning. Almost the whole bar fell silent looking over to see what Shanks was talking about. Makino made eye contact with Shanks and found no evil intentions at all in those eyes, so she sighed and let Luffy meet him.

"Luffy, this is Shanks a pirate, Shanks this is Luffy a villager." She introduced while gesturing to each other. Luffy's ears perked up even more and his tail shot up as he heard the word "pirate".

"Wow so you're a pirate, is that true?" Luffy asked in awe as he ran and sat down in a chair near Shanks, he always admired pirates. The red haired man just grinned and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Yeah that's what I do for a living and this is my crew here!" He said, while drinking some alcohol. Luffy beamed at the sight and his tail became straight with a slight curl, indicating he's still a little cautious. His crew smiled, being proud that they themselves became pirates and that was how both of them met.(In this story) Now let's move forward in time where Luffy had eaten a devil fruit, however this time, the story with change its course from the original one.

-Inside the Bar-

There was a big celebration as pirates here and there sang, dance, drank, and ate. Luffy had tears brimming in his eyes as his ears and tail drooped.

"Ah it didn't hurt one bit…!" Luffy declared trying to smile while holding the tears. (Yes I have used the manga's quotes, but some may be a little edited…Sorry Eiichiro Oda!) He had just stabbed himself in the face to prove he was worthy of going onto one of Shanks's journey. Now it was all patched up, but pain was still there.

"LIAR! Don't do anything so stupid again!" Shanks yelled at him while slamming his mug down. Luffy swallowed and stopped the tears from flowing as his ears and tail shot up straight in excitement.

"See? I'm not afraid of pain at all! Next time bring me out to sea, I want to be a pirate too!" Luffy beamed and was positive that this time Shanks would take him on a voyage.

"You can't handle being a pirate! Not being able to swim is a pirate's greatest weakness!" Shanks said laughing.

"As long as I stay onboard the ship I'll be fine! Besides, my fighting is pretty good too!" Luffy insisted as his black furry tail swished around. "I've rigorously trained before! My punch is as strong as a pistol!"

"Pistol? Wow really…?" Shanks said with a disbelieving and dull tone. Luffy's tail bristled and his ears went backwards.

"What kind of tone is that?!" he asked angrily, but was stopped short before he could argue as is crew had stepped in.

"Luffy, you seem unhappy!" One said.

"Be happy to face anything!" Another joined in.

"Yea, a pirate's life is great, the sea is so deep and wide, and you can go to any island and seek adventure!" Lucky yelled out in laughter.

"Nothing is greater than freedom!" Luffy was awed and become more inspired as his ears perked up once again and listened more.

"Don't go giving him funny ideas guys." Shanks huffed as he chewed on a spoon.

"But it's the truth right?" Lucky asked another member and he agreed along. Luffy beamed as his head began to fill with many ideas. And then the rest joined in asking Shanks to bring the boy along this time until their captain replied,

"Then one of you has to stay behind if we take Luffy…" He began and then the group just went back to drinking and laughing, forgetting about the topic since no one wanted to be left behind.

"What kind of friends are you?!" Luffy yelled. Shanks chuckled as he asked for some milk from Makino which she gladly gave him and he passed it to the fuming Luffy.

"Come on, don't be so mad, and here drink some milk!" Shanks offered. Luffy immediately calmed and took the glass as he drank it, milk had tasted good to his tongue.

"HAHAHAHA! You really are a kid! How amusing!" Shanks yelled as he laughed loudly and his crew joined in the laughter.

"THAT WAS A DIRTY TRICK!" Luffy yelled even more furious with the red haired captain. Luffy sighed and gave up for the day while finishing his drink. He even cut his face just to show that he can go along on a voyage and become a pirate.

"Luffy, you should try and understand the captain's feelings." Benn began to say as Luffy listened and tilted his head. "There are many dangers out in the sea, he knows that being a pirate is interesting, but he also knows that it's hard and dangerous. Do you understand why, he doesn't purposely tease your ambitions of being a pirate."

"I don't understand, Shanks really just takes me for an idiot!" Luffy wailed and pouted. Shanks began to look at Luffy and mutter something about 'can't swim'.

"Ho boy, you're so fun to tease!" Shanks snickered and Luffy pointed at him scowling.

"Hm, maybe the lad actually has a point." Benn said while sweat dropping. Makino walked into the conversation as she asked Luffy if he wanted food, which he gladly obliged and asked for some fish. While eating, the cat boy found out that Shanks was going to leave after a while and decided that he would learn to swim by then. He finished his fish and saw a chest which he easily forced open and saw a fruit inside. Then the bar doors were kicked open as people walked in.

"So these are pirates eh?" A man said walking towards Shanks. "My first time seeing them and they look pretty dumb to me." He continued. The pirates just watched and didn't say anything. Luffy began to eat the fruit, ignoring it's disgusting taste as he watched the scene. Makino hurriedly hid his ears and tail with a cap and his tail underneath his shirt.

"Excuse us but we're bandits and we're not here to cause trouble, but we just need 10 barrels of sake." The man said stopping in front of Makino. His name was Higuma, leader of the bandits.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, but we're out of sake…" Makino said, trying to be polite. The bandit looked around and then faced Makino again.

"Oh? That's strange what are these pirates drinking then?" Higuma asked glaring at the pirates. "Is it water?"

"Um, no that is sake, but that's all we have…" Makino replied. Everyone just sat there in silence for a few seconds until Shanks spoke up.

"I'm sorry, looks like we've finished all the sake, sorry about that!" He said while chuckling. "Here if you don't mind, you can take the last bottle." Shanks offered and the bandit sneered and looked at him for a while and then destroyed the bottle with his hand, making Shanks drenched. Glass pieces flew nearby and Luffy shielded himself while backing away, half eaten fruit in hand. Makino looked shocked while his crew was slightly agitated at the disrespect he showed towards their captain. Luffy was shocked as he just watched on silently.

"One bottle is not enough! Just who do you think I am? Don't take me so lightly, pirate." The bandit said. Shanks looked down at the mess and put on a frown.

"Oh no, now the floor is all wet…" he sighed. Higuma pulled up a wanted poster and showed it.

"See this? I'm a wanted man, my head is worth eight million beli, I've killed fifty six people before, just like you, you cocky bastard. "He threatened. "Now that you know who I am, don't mess with us again, after all us mountain bandits and you sea pirates don't mingle very well." Shanks just looked at the mess and proceeded to clean it up, picking the glass shards one by one.

"Sorry about that Makino, do you have a mop?" Shanks asked, still trying to clean the floor. Higuma frowned and unsheathed his sword, then he cut the serving bar, cutting several plates and cups along the way, making more of a mess.

"Well it seems like you enjoy cleaning, now you can enjoy cleaning more, Later you bunch of chickens." He huffed while walking out. "No grog, what an outrage! We'll just have to go to another town." He muttered.

"Are you alright captain? Did you get hurt?" Makino asked Shanks, checking for wounds.

"No, no, I'm fine." Shanks said waving a hand and brushing it off. Then he sighed and everyone burst out laughing.

"Ahahaha! Our captain looked so silly!" Lucky cried out. Everyone roared in laughter.

"He fixed you up good captain!" Another crewmate said. Shanks just grinned and then he burst out laughing as well.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! THAT WAS DISGRACEFUL, WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT HIM?!" Luffy yelled while his ears flattened and his tail bristled in anger. He had taken the annoying cap off and let his tail out of the shirt once those bandits left. "SO WHAT IF THEY HAVE MORE PEOPLE, WHO LAUGHS AFTER GETTING PICKED ON?! YOU'RE NOT A MAN AND NOT A PIRATE EITHER!" He hissed. Shanks just looked at the fuming boy and ruffled his raven hair.

"Look, I know how you feel, but it's just a bottle of sake, nothing to get worked up about." He said calmly.

"I don't want to see you again! Coward!" Luffy said while bounding away on all fours.

"Hey wait Luffy don't go." Shanks called, but he was already long gone. He sighed mentally, he really liked the boy and didn't want to see him so mad. A yell disrupted his thoughts.

"It's gone; the unknown devil fruit we took from that enemy ship is gone!" Lucky yelled showing the empty box. Everyone's jaw comically fell onto the floor as they began to panic.

"Maybe Luffy knows something! We need to find him!" Yassop cried out both hand on the side of his head as he panicked. "I remember seeing him eat a fruit, but I took no notice because I didn't know the box was open!"

"YOU IDIOT!" the crew cried out and Shanks jumped up.

"Oh no, this is bad we don't even know what it'll do!" he yelled beginning to panic as well. Benn stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm his captain. Meanwhile Luffy was running into the forest with tears in his eyes.

'That stupid Shanks! I thought he was a cool guy, but I was wrong!' he thought as he climbed up a tree, not noticing that some animals were beginning to follow him.

"Hey are you okay?" a small tiger cub asked tilting his head. Luffy was caught off guard and fell off the tree. He held his injured elbow and winced at the cut. The cub ran up and licked the wound trying to disinfect it. "I guess not, but what happened?" the tiger asked again.

"Strange why can I understand you?" Luffy said wincing between each lick, his tail thrashed around because of the pain.

"Silly you're an animal too! Just that you're half human…and we can kind of tell people's personalities, you appear to be a pure hearted person, so I tried to approach you!" The tiger replied and sat down looking up.

"I see, that's a cool ability I have!" Luffy cried out, tail straight up in the air.

"So what happened? Why were you crying?" the tiger asked once more. Luffy explained it simply and short.

"Shanks was being a chicken and he used to be such a cool guy, but I guess not…" Luffy said ears and tail drooping.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but you shouldn't judge others by what they do, it's why they did it, there should always be a reason. Or at least that's what my parents told me…"The tiger said ears flattened sheepishly.

"The reason why Shanks did what he did?" Luffy asked himself and he did feel a little bad for yelling at him like that, all the while misunderstanding him. "Okay then I'll go back and apologize to him!" he declared. The tiger waved goodbye with a flick of his tail and walked off while Luffy ran back towards the village. He ran into the bar only to find Makino there, washing dishes. She saw his wounded elbow and rushed over while bringing some medicine and bandages.

"Where are Shanks and the crew?" Luffy asked looking around. Makino smiled sadly while finishing her work up, by wrapping the bandage around the cut.

"They left for another voyage for a while." Makino replied and then she remembered. "Oh Luffy can you go get some fish from the market?" Luffy just nodded and Makino gave him the money while he headed out.

"Hey fish monger give me some fish!" Luffy cried out, throwing his arms in the air. Fish was his second favorite food other than meat and he waited patiently for the fish.

"So Luffy, you aren't sad that Shanks didn't take you with him this time and what happened to your arm?" The shop keeper asked while giving Luffy his change, his wife was smiling at the boy as he replied.

"Nope! I decided to just wait for him this time and learn how to swim! And I kind of fell." The cat boy declared, grinning. Then he waved goodbye as he ran back to the bar and the couple waved back. As he re-entered the bar Luffy handed over the fish to Makino and ran upstairs. It was getting late and he was feeling exhausted and immediately fell asleep when he flopped onto the bed, curling up. Makino went upstairs to Luffy's room and tucked him in smiling. She gave him a goodnight kiss and walked back downstairs to do her work.

-Next afternoon-

Luffy was chewing on a glass cup while he was chatting with Makino about bravery and other things until the bar door opened and in came the bandits from yesterday. She quickly disguised Luffy once more and then became busy, serving sake to the bandits. Luffy just chewed on some fish while from underneath the hat his ears perked up as he listened to the bandits mocking Shanks and his crew. Furious Luffy stood up to them and yelled telling them to apologize in which both sides got into an argument, but then Luffy was thrown outside, his hat being blown off.

"Oh how strange, a cat person." Higuma sneered kicking the boy in the stomach."I think we could sell you off to a human auction house for some money." For some reason Luffy didn't feel any pain and he stood up trying to fight them off. The bandits formed a circle around the boy and began to hit him like a punching bag. Makino brought the mayor and begged for Luffy to be released, but they paid no heed to the pleading until Luffy took the last straw from Higuma by name calling. The bandit raised his sword preparing to strike while the villagers began to come out with weapons, to try and protect the little boy until,

"I was wondering why no one was greeting us at the port today." A voice said from behind Makino and the mayor. Shanks (finally) appeared and walked towards the bandits. "Hey you guys were the bandits from the other day!"

"Captain!" Makino cried out in surprise. The villagers relaxed visibly, seeing that Luffy will be safe now since they're here.

"Luffy, what's wrong? Isn't your punch as strong as a pistol?" Shanks teased. Luffy's hissed at Shanks the best way he could underneath the bandits boot.

"Shut up!"

"Pirate why are you still here? Are you going to clean up the whole town this time?" Higuma scowled, "I suggest you leave right now, if you get any closer I might have to open fire, you coward"

Shanks took a step closer until a click was heard right next to his head.

"Didn't you hear!? You were told not to go any closer! Do you want to get shot?" a bandit said while laughing, while the others joined in.

"Well since you pulled out your gun, I guess we'll have to fight." Shanks stated and when the bandit looked confused he pointed at the gun."I said you're putting your life on the line by pointing this at me." Then Lucky appeared from behind and shot the bandit with a gun from behind. Everyone became shocked as they watched the now dead body fall to the floor.

"N…now you've done it you bastard!" a bandit yelled getting out his weapon.

"Damn it, that was dirty!" Another said.

"Dirty?" Yassop said frowning a little. Benn stepped up, hand in pocket and was smoking a cigarette.

"Don't make us laugh, do you think we're saints?"He asked puffing out some smoke.

"The people standing in front of you right now are_ pirates_, listen well bandits, you can whip food or sake on me or even spit on me and I can just laugh it off!" Shanks said crossing his arms as he gave a deadly glare. "I don't care what reasons you have! I won't forgive anyone who messes with my friends!" Luffy was struck by his words and struggled even harder to get out of the bandits grasp. By Higuma's order the others attacked until Benn stepped in front and took his cigarette burning the first bandit between the eyes while he then grabbed his gun and whacked the rest into unconsciousness with one powerful stroke. Higuma then became the coward he was, no longer having any fight inside as fear replaced it and while grabbing Luffy he made his escape with a smoke bomb.

"Ah damn it! He escaped with Luffy, what should I do?!" Shanks yelled panicking.

"Captain, calm down we'll find him!" Lucky said trying to calm his currently panicking captain. Benn just smirked as he lit himself another cigarette.

"Haha they'll never suspect a mountain bandit out at sea!" Higuma said while holding Luffy by the scruff. He tried to scratch and bite him all he could, but to no avail and he was thrown into the water. A sea king spotted the drowning Luffy and swam slowly towards him.

"Help me! Someone please help me!" Luffy said while trying to keep afloat, but for some reason his body felt like a hammer.

"I'll be of assistance." The sea king said while chomping up the boat and the laughing man. He then proceeded to pick up Luffy on his back and then to safety, during the ride, Luffy thought over his fear of drowning and what Benn had explained, he understood and a new goal came into mind. Dropping the boy off safely Luffy waved goodbye and gave him thanks in which the sea king just nodded and swam away.

"MAKINO! SHANKS!" Luffy yelled jumping into Makino's arms, and then hugged Shanks's leg.

"Luffy!" they both cried out relieved to find the boy at last. The pirates with Luffy once again gathered at the bar and celebrated with Luffy apologizing for yelling at them. The crew just laughed and some ruffled the boy's hair.

"Oh yeah Luffy," Shanks began, "did you eat a strange fruit?" he asked. Then some people turned their way wondering if the boy actually did eat it.

"Hmm, well there was this one nasty fruit, or at least it looked like it and I found it in a chest." Luffy said, while sticking his tongue out and tail drooping at the remembrance of the taste. "I wonder why a nasty thing like that was guarded…" Shanks's jaw dropped to the floor and he hit Luffy lightly on the head.

"YOU MORON! YOU JUST ATE A DEVIL FRUIT AND NOW YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SWIM AGAIN!" He yelled. Luffy blankly stared into space processing the words and 3…2…1…

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Luffy cried his ears and tail now completely upwards in shock.

"YOU IDIOT!" Shanks yelled again. The crew paused for a few moments and laughed again. The time came for Shanks to leave a few days later, as his crew was packing Shanks began to walk towards his ship while the villagers stood to wave them goodbye. Luffy ran up to Shanks and the pirate stopped waiting for what he may have to say.

"You're really leaving this time?" Luffy asked frowning, his cat features drooped.

"Yep, we've stayed here long enough, it's about time we move on." Shanks replied. "Are you upset?"

"Yea…but I won't force you to take me along anymore! I'll become a pirate myself!" Luffy beamed at the idea.

"Heh, I wouldn't take you even if you begged me." Shanks said while sticking his tongue out. "You won't have what it takes to be a pirate!" He mocked while pointing at Luffy.

"YES I DO!" Luffy yelled, ears flattened backwards. "ONE DAY I'LL FIND MYSELF A CREW THAT IS AS STRONG AS YOURS! AND THEN I'LL FIND THE WORLD'S BIGGEST TREASURE!" Luffy yelled out loud, tears brimming in his eyes as he made a vow. "AND BECOME THE KIND OF THE PIRATES!"

"Oh…! So you wan't to be bigger than us huh?" Shanks begins to say as he takes off his straw hat. "Well then…" Shanks put his most treasured hat on Luffy's head. "This hat…is my gift to you."

"This is my favorite hat you know, when you become a great pirate in the future, you'll return that hat to me." Shanks continued as Luffy began to cry.

"That kid's going to be big." Benn said as Shanks began to walk past him onto the boat.

"I know, because he reminds me of myself in my early years." He replied as he held a gentle smile on his face, reminiscing the past.

"PULL UP THE ANCHOR! SET SAIL!" the pirates yelled and the ship took off with Luffy bawling holding the hat tightly. The villagers smiled and waved goodbye to the retreating figure. And the youth's journey began here ten years later, but before we get to that, we'll venture his childhood a bit more.

-Few Days Later Inside a Forest-

"SABO WHERE ARE YOU?!" a voice yelled. There was a young boy, his hands cupped around his mouth and a metal pole hooked under his arm. He wore a red T-shirt and light brown short pants with leather shoes. The boy had black wavy, messy hair with freckles. His name was Ace, Portgas D. Ace. Lying next to him was a dead bison; he was currently looking for the blond boy who was his brother. Then above him leaves rustled as another boy jumped down, grinning. He had a black top hat with blue goggles wrapped around the bottom. He wore a blue coat, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow and a black shirt with a slightly torn white frill near his neck. His pants were a little longer than Ace's and had a light turquoise color with a black belt tied around and black sneakers. Sabo had blond hair with a few teeth missing and also was holding a metal pole.

"What is it Ace, why'd you call me so loudly?" Sabo asked with a confused expression. Ace turned towards his brother with a terrified look.

"My gramps is coming, Garp is coming…" Ace said as he shivered. "And he said he has a surprise for me…" Sabo laughed, he remembered the times when Garp gave his "present" which was mostly giving Ace some marine training and most of the time he comes home badly injured with a horrified look on his face.

"Well then what do you want me to do?" Sabo asked with a confused face once more.

"He said it was for you as well…" Ace said while sulking near a tree, on hand on the trunk and head down in depression thinking of what may happen. Sabo's face also paled considerably.

"What why?!" He whined, he had nothing to do with what was going on. Ace just shrugged as he snapped out of his depression and walked over to his catch.

"Sabo can you carry my pole?" Ace asked heaving the bison over his shoulder. Sabo set aside his worries for later as he tied the two poles to his back and walked towards to where they lived currently. Ace dragged the bison into the wooden hut and set it down inside a room. It was a simple place there was a metal pot and fireplace underneath it in the middle of the room and a few cloths draped on the walls, acting as doors or entrances to other rooms.

"Oi Dadan!" Ace yelled. "Can you cook this for dinner?!" Someone walked into the room, she had long orange curly hair with a beaded necklace and wore a white shirt with short baggy brown pants and looked pretty manly for a lady, and not to mention she was pretty wide…Anyways. This woman was Dadan, a mountain bandit.

"Huh?!" She said looking at Ace with a glare. "Have some more respect, you brat-!" Ace just threw the bison in her face and she fell down onto the wooden floor. Sabo sweat dropped, Ace was still as rude as ever.

"Oh yeah Garp said he's coming right now with your surprise!" Dadan growled as she heaved the bison off her and began to prepare it. Ace looked shocked, so soon? And he began to run out while calling to his brother,

"Crap we should hide Sabo!" Ace said looking towards his brother who nodded in agreement and they both ran outside, faces paled as they climbed up a tree.

-Meanwhile-

"Ow ow ow! It hurts Gramps!" Luffy said as he was being dragged from the floor. Garp was currently dragging him from the tail since Luffy was refusing to go along with him to meet bandits. He hated them after what happened in the village! Garp sighed as he lifted Luffy and carried him under his arm.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you in that village, now that pirate corrupted you with his ideas!" Garp said and Luffy stopped struggling his ears and tail drooped and his face else a devastated, bored look.

"It's Shanks and its not corrupted ideas, he was a great pirate and now I'm going to be one too!" Luffy declared struggling once more. Garp kept walking ignoring Luffy's futile struggle.

"I want you to become a fine marine, not a pirate!" he said sternly while looking down at the boy who stopped struggling and began to pout. "We're here, now make sure you are polite, you're going to live with these people from now on okay?" Luffy just kept pouting and Garp put the straw hat over his ears and tucked in his tail like Makino had asked him to.

Ace and Sabo watched atop a tree as Garp came in with a…boy? They looked at each other with confused looks, and then the wind passed by, flipping up his shirt to see a small tuft of…fur? Once again they looked at one another with confused look.

"Oi Ace, Sabo where are you?!" Garp yelled around. "If you don't come here in five seconds I'll give you a wonderful training routine for a marine, and I know you're near here!" He added while laughing. Ace was really confused now; they weren't having a training routine? He shared a look with Sabo and jumped down walking cautiously towards Garp, not letting one single shred of relaxation come in. Sabo did the same, tensing up as Garp walked towards them.

"There you are here's your gift." He said shoving Luffy into their arms. Both had a look of shock as the boy was forcefully shoved into their arms. "He's your new brother now." Ace's expression changed from a look of shock to a look of anger.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU OLD GEEZER?! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF A CHILD?!" Ace yelled.

"NOW THAT'S NO WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR GRANDFATHER!" Garp yelled back. "AND IT'S BECAUSE I SAY SO, HE'S YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER NOW TAKE CARE OF HIM!" Both of their foreheads clashed and they gave each other death glares. Sabo sighed and noted the boy was sleeping, heck he even thought he was pretty cute while sleeping and unconsciously he smiled.

'Another brother huh and he's even younger?' Sabo thought as he looked at the sleeping figure, and then looked at the two who were currently at each other's throats. Sabo sighed and hit Ace on the head. When he was about to yell at Sabo the blond put a finger to his mouth as a gesture of "be quiet" and then pointed to the boy who was currently sleeping. Garp's face had softened as he looked at the peaceful sleeping figure and so did Ace.

"Well anyways his name is Monkey D. Luffy, your _new_ _brother_." Garp said while walking off inside the house to find Dadan and consult (–cough- blackmail –cough-) with her to take care of Luffy. For some reason Ace felt a protective side as he looked at the oblivious boy, but he shook it off though, what was he thinking? It seemed as if Sabo was also thinking the same thing, he was deep in thought while looking at the boy. Clearing his throat to gain his brothers attention he asked,

"So what now?" Sabo just blinked and sighed.

"Let's take him back to our tree house we can't just leave him here." Sabo said scratching his face with one finger as he picked up the light and small boy, carrying him into the forest and towards a huge tree where a wooden tree house was built on its branches. He easily jumped into the tree house and set the boy down on a mattress while covering him with a blanket. Sabo took the hat off and set it near him until he looked back and smiled. But then…

"AHHHHHHHH!" Ace quickly got his metal pole from his back and jumped into the tree house.

"Sabo! What's wrong, what happened?!" Ace demanded looking around for enemies, and when he found none he looked at Sabo who quickly regained his posture and blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry just that something surprised me…" Ace looked at Sabo like he was crazy until he pointed at Luffy's furry black cat ears atop his head that was actually twitching! And thus resulted another yell.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"You guys are too loud…" Luffy mumbled as he sat up and then they both noticed the tail behind him, the tip was twitching on the mattress and he rubbed his eyes while yawning. Until Luffy's eyes snapped open and looked around, the room was pretty spacious and was made of wood. Luffy saw a small table with wooden chairs and a cloth entrance with some sort of an opening right next to him outside he saw many trees and sunlight seeped inside creating warmth. The whole place appeared to be hand built by beginners and he looked back to the two people, until something clicked in his head. "Where am I?! And who are you?!" He asked, panic shown clear in his onyx black eyes. Ace grabbed his metal pole and pointed it in front of the boy.

"Whoa calm down, we won't hurt you." Sabo said reassuringly as he gave Ace a glare who began to mumble and set his weapon down, the boy settled down and sat down cross legged staring at Ace and Sabo, while the other two were also staring back. This then resulted in a staring contest for a few minutes until Sabo spoke up, introducing both of them.

"My name is Dragon D. Sabo and this is Portgas D. Ace, nice to meet you." He said while smiling. Luffy grinned and said,

"My name is Luffy!" Sabo chuckled at his enthusiasm and then gently touched his ears in awe, which twitched at the contact, but he soon heard a purr as Sabo gently stroked it.

"So can I ask why you have those ears and tail?" Ace demanded putting his hands on his hips. This was really strange, was it because of a devil fruit? Luffy just shrugged and yawned again.

"I don't know, I was born with it." Luffy said and jumped up, while putting his hat on, Ace began to wonder how this happened, having a half cat person was pretty rare, heck he's never _heard_ or _seen_ one. He was walking towards the entrance and was about walk out until he remembered something. "Oh yeah where am I?" Ace and Sabo sweat dropped, their new brother was an idiot.

"Well right now you're in our tree house-" Sabo started until Luffy's eyes shone with excitement.

"A tree house?! SO COOL!" He exclaimed, forgetting all about leaving. Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose and continued again.

"As I was saying we're your new brothers now due to some circumstances and-" Sabo said, but was cut off again.

"What? Brothers…us? Why?" Luffy started asking tilting his head. The blond sighed and face palmed.

'This is going to take a while…' He thought and proceeded to explain to make sure Luffy, his now new brother, understood what was going on.

-A few hours later-

Ace had a headache, and a big one. Why? Because of his new idiotic brother, which couldn't even understand a couple of sentences and so both Ace and Sabo had to break it down to the simplest explanation as possible. And now after a few hours of explaining, both have finally succeeded into pounding the information into his head, and the first thing he says is…

"I don't get it." Both Ace and Sabo fell to the floor and Ace whacked Luffy on the head while scolding about "not listening" or "Idiot" and more of those types of words.

"WHY THE HELL DO WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF ANOTHER ONE?!" a voice yelled.

'Probably Dadan…' Ace and Sabo immediately thought recognizing the voice.

"BECAUSE I WAN'T HIM TO STAY HERE! THERE'S NO OTHER PLACE FOR HIM TO GO! Even if I do want him to become a fine marine like Ace and that Sabo kid…" Another voice yelled. Ace and Sabo stuck their tongue's out at the thought of them as marines.

"NO WAY IN HELL WILL WE HAVE ANOTHER KID IN THIS HOUSE! ACE AND SABO ARE ALREADY ENOUGH!" Dadan complained. Garp sighed and decided to blackmail now. Ace and Sabo snickered at all the yelling, they could imagine how the picture looked like. When they both turned around to find Luffy he, wasn't there? Their eyes popped out wondering where he had gotten to and Ace just sat down.

"Forget it, just leave him alone." He said while picking his nose. Sabo turned around and gave him a 'Hah?' look.

"What are you talking about he's our new brother now and you just want to leave him to die?!" Sabo said while grabbing Ace's shirt and shaking him which the boy just kept picking his nose.

"Well, I don't really give a care in the world." Sabo face palmed. He had two idiot brothers now. And this would be how everything began for Luffy in this forest with the bandits and his two new brothers, but how would things play out?

**Thanks for reading! **

**This was my first writing thing? I have no idea whether I did a good job or not, so I would appreciate some pointers no matter how harsh they are? I'm a newbie after all and I hope this story has at least killed some of your boredom or grabbed your attention. (In my dreams =w=) But again hope you enjoyed, I may or may not continue this, but I probably will since this was pretty enjoyable.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Er forgot to mention their ages so I'll do that right now…**

**Luffy-7**

**Ace-14**

**Sabo-14 **

**Um, yeah I'm going to do my best to try and improve while making better stories for everyone to read! =^= Well here's the second? OAO**

**Chapter Two - Devil Fruit Activated**

Luffy was walking through the forest while being awed at plants or insects, basically everything that he hadn't seen yet. He saw a green beetle that was latched onto a tree trunk and was pretty big, its outer shell was shiny which caught his eye. Luffy crouched into a pouncing position and eyed the bug while his tail was swishing back and forth on the soft grass. He would wait for a few seconds…the beetle began to crawl a little lower in search of food…Now! His legs pushed against the floor, causing blades of grass to fly up in the air and his hands were outstretched trying to catch his "prey". To the boy's dismay the beetle flew away and he skidded across the ground trying to avoid crashing, but failed. There was a dull "Thud" as his back collided with the trunk.

"Ow…" Luffy wailed rubbing his now sore back. He leaned near the tree and relaxed for a few minutes observing everything carefully. Some bushes rustled behind him and his head snapped around at the source of the noise. A large paw stepped out and eyes gleamed from behind the bush. Out came an over grown tiger which loomed over the small Luffy who hissed, ears flattened. The forest became silent as both pairs of eyes were locked onto one another not moving a muscle. The tiger took this as an invitation and took the first move. His massive paw swung down where Luffy stood and he gracefully jumped out of the way as rocks and plants were destroyed. Luffy hissed again and started to climb a tree very nimbly and was soon perched on a branch sticking his tongue out at the now furious tiger. Roaring, the wild animal slammed his body against the tree causing a massive vibration which shook the half cat off where he stood and down towards an open mouth. But before he could become a meal Luffy's tail curled around a branch and he swung around, jumping off onto another branch after a few good swings.

"Hah! Nice try you stupid tiger!" Luffy taunted while bouncing around waving his arms in the air. Before the tiger could crash into the tree again, Luffy had already bounded off, jumping from branch to branch on all fours. "Hey this is pretty fun!" He cried out in delight as he jumped off another branch. Deeming that he'd had run far enough from the tiger Luffy relaxed once more, this time up on the tree. The sound of leaves rustling reached Luffy's fuzzy ears and his eyes snapped open.

'Darn that tiger is so persistent!' He thought while gritting his teeth. Quietly he waited for the right moment to attack and when the noise got nearer, he pounced while snarling.

"Oomph!" A voice said as Luffy crashed into…a person? Luffy tilted his head in confusion as he took a good look at the person. Blond hair, obsidian eyes with a hint of blue, a top hat with goggles, can you guess yet? Yep it was Sabo, Luffy felt guilt since he did attack someone and he kind of knew him, as well as the pounce was a bit too high in strength.

"Sorry Sabo, I didn't mean to hit you I thought you were a tiger!" Luffy cried out with an apologetic look. Sabo just rubbed his stomach and smiled uneasily.

"That's alright Luffy it wasn't your fault, and it's actually a good thing you crashed into me since I was looking all over for you." He said while dusting off some leaves and twigs from his pants. "Don't worry me like that and don't run off again okay?" Luffy just grinned and helped Sabo up. Both began to take a walk around the forest with Luffy following right behind and Sabo started a conversation.

"So who are your parents? Was there anyone who took care of you before Garp?" Sabo asked while looking behind. Luffy thought for a brief moment and shook his head.

"I only know of Gramps he took me under his care after all." He said while looking up at a butterfly. Sabo chuckled and watched Luffy try and land a hit on the insect.

"Sorry about Ace, he's kind of on the cold side, but I think he'll warm up to you soon." Sabo said while looking back in front. Luffy stopped swatting and thought again.

"It's okay at least you're here!" He grinned. "After all you're nice like Makino!"

"Makino? Who's that?" Sabo asked. Having no reply he looked behind and saw Luffy climbing a tree going after a beetle. "LUFFY GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Sabo yelled cupping his hands to his mouth. Luffy looked down and he grabbed the nearest branch tightly as his tail bristled.

"SABO SAVE ME!" Luffy cried and he looked down in fear. Sabo began to panic and then swiftly thought of an idea. He climbed up on another tree and quickly jumped from branch to branch until he came towards Luffy. Sabo gently pried Luffy off from the branch and picked him up bridal style as he jumped back down onto the forest floor.

"You're a real trouble maker you know that?" Sabo sighed as he bent down and brushed off debris from Luffy's shirt. Luffy sniffled and hugged Sabo tightly.

"That was so scary!" He cried while tightening his grip on the shirt. "Thank you Sabo for saving me!" Sabo had a look of surprise at the sudden movement and then smiled as he gently ruffled Luffy's hair.

"Don't do that again okay?" He scolded lightly and Luffy nodded. Sabo grabbed Luffy's hand tightly to make sure he didn't run off into trouble again.

"So who was Makino that you mentioned?" He continued while looking down at the boy who stopped his tears.

"She was a nice lady who worked at a bar in Foosha Village and she was really nice to me!" Luffy beamed. "You're kind of like her since you're also nice to me!" Sabo chuckled and piggy backed the small boy to his delight.

"I see that's nice to hear." Sabo smiled, "Want to go meet your new caretaker?" Luffy's face fell and he stuck out his tongue.

"No bandits suck and they're mean." He pouted. "I hate them."

"Well these bandits aren't too bad, after all they've been taking care of me and Ace for many years." Sabo said while remembering the time when they first came.

"Hey why is Ace okay with you?" Luffy asked. "He didn't look like he cared about anything else…" The blond smiled sadly.

"Well his past was kind of rough for a child his age, and let's just say me and him quickly became friends when we first met." Sabo explained simply, he knew Luffy wouldn't understand a complicated and detailed description. Luffy pondered and thought about what happened back then to make Ace this cold until Sabo disrupted his thoughts.

"We're here this is the bandits hideout I guess you could say." He said while putting Luffy down. Luffy frowned deeply and held onto Sabo's pants.

"I hate it here already…" He said looking over at the building. Sabo sweat dropped.

"Well you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, now come on lets go inside and meet Dadan." He said while gently urging Luffy to go inside. Luffy allowed himself to be pushed along, he trusted Sabo, but what did "shouldn't judge a book by its cover" mean? He kept wondering what it meant and finally came to a conclusion.

"So if the cover of a book looks bad then that means it's really good?" Luffy mumbled to himself until he heard loud footsteps and felt a killing aura. He made a small squeal and ran behind Sabo his head poking out of his left leg.

"Good afternoon Dadan." Sabo said while tilting his hat. "I brought Luffy here to meet you." The woman named 'Dadan' only huffed and placed down a huge bowl of meat.

"Save that for later ITS LUNCH BOYS COME AND GET IT!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Luffy didn't even know if Dadan could be defined as a she, but quickly put that aside as he dived in for the food. Other bandits and Ace came crashing inside grabbing for the meat. Then the fight for food began. There was a massive competition for just one piece of meat and there were many kicking, punching, biting, scratching, anything they could do to get the meat. Sabo and Ace got their share while Luffy bit into a piece of meat and ran away. The piece was pretty big and he had targeted it since the beginning. After running outside Luffy gorged on his prize hungrily, it tasted great! Yearning for more he looked around for any sources of food he could find. He found a bunny nibbling on some plants and charged forward.

"MEAT!" He yelled and chased after it. The rabbit, once hearing the approaching feet and the yell, it quickly ran off underneath a tree. Luffy gave up immediately after seeing its tail disappear in the hole. He huffed and turned around only to face the same tiger that was chasing him earlier. He processed what he saw in his mind and so did the tiger. A few seconds had passed and it finally clicked. The tiger roared and chased after Luffy who was now running at full speed, tail trailing behind. The tiger tried to bite his tail to catch him a couple of times and Luffy grabbed his tail holding it close so it wouldn't get bitten off. He yelled out in surprise as the tiger lunged forward causing a small crater to form under its heavy paw. Luffy began to get tired and whirled around while biting at the tiger's face. It roared in anger and pain as his small sharp teeth sank in the flesh. He quickly let go as the tiger tried to swat Luffy. He ran again and then found a rocky wall in front of him and skidded to a halt. Luffy looked around to find an escape route but only found more walls, the place was caved in and open at the top. He looked in front frantically and saw his only escape route which was back into the forest but found the tiger looking back, blocking the way. The gleam in his eyes showed that there would be no escape. Luffy panicked even more and more by the minute, soon the tiger dashed forward and Luffy shut his eyes tight while crossing his arms in front of him so try and block the attack. But the pain never came except for a strange tingling throughout his body. He opened his eyes; the tiger's hungry look was gone and was replaced by a look of fear. He ran away tail between legs as Luffy made a confused look. He felt the weird feeling again and shivered. It felt weird and strange but he shrugged it off and decided to have some fun chasing.

-Meanwhile-

"Ace you should really try and give him a chance, he's a nice boy." Sabo persisted. Ace huffed and leaned on a tree arms behind his head.

"No way Sabo, you know that I only trust you and Dadan." He said while closing his eyes. "Plus he's stupid."

"You are too, now come on please?" Sabo asked. "Come on for god's sake he's going to be our new brother."

"BECAUSE THAT STUPID OLD MAN PUT HIM IN OUR CARE!" Ace finally snapped. Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose and then yelled back.

"WELL HE'S JUST A SMALL CHILD DO YOU REALLY EXPECT HIM TO FEND OFF FOR HIS OWN?!"

"WELL WHEN I WAS HIS AGE I MANAGED TO SURVIVE WITHOUT CRYING OR WAILING!" Ace shot back. Sabo sighed in frustration and covered his eyes with a hand.

"Then what does he have to do in order for you to give a care about him?" Sabo tried again. Ace shrugged.

"Nothing, like I said before I don't give a care." He replied while yawning. Then thundering footsteps came towards their way and they saw a huge tiger heading towards them. Ace and Sabo grabbed their poles readying for a fight, but the tiger just shot past them. They looked at each other confused.

"COME HERE MEAT!" A voice yelled. Sabo sweat dropped and immediately knew who it was. Luffy also shot through the bush and chased after the tiger. Both boys' jaw hit the floor. A small 7 year old boy was chasing a tiger around twenty times his size.

"LUFFY THAT'S DANGEROUS!" Sabo yelled chasing after him. For some reason Ace felt an urge to go as well, but he stayed put until his eye twitched and he ran after the two of them. A few good hours later of chasing all three males collapsed onto the soft grass.

"Shishishi, that was so fun!" Luffy laughed. Sabo gasped in air and also laughed slightly.

"Yep you are a real trouble maker Luffy." Surprisingly Sabo noticed the corners of Ace's mouth curve up slightly.

"Ah! You enjoyed it too didn't you Ace?" Sabo teased while sitting up. Ace's face heated up and he sat up quickly.

"No I did not!" He yelled, denying it.

"Aw come on just admit it, you had a fun time, right Luffy?" Sabo chuckled and Luffy nodded while giggling. "You haven't smiled in a long time Ace it's good to see that you still can smile." Ace flopped back down and rolled over showing his back to Sabo. A few silent minutes passed and Ace sat up again.

"Yeah you're right." Ace said smiling again. "It has been a while since I could smile so freely." Sabo grinned, it seemed like Ace had finally started to like Luffy, now to only increase that.

"Hey Luffy, I can kind of accept you, but not too much since you're annoying." Ace said, but there was no reply. "Hey are you listeni-"Soft snores came from the half cat's form. He was curled up into a tight ball, tail wrapped around his legs and arms and ears twitching in his sleep. Ace's eyes had softened but he quickly went back to his dull expression.

"Let's carry him back to the tree house." Ace whispered while picking the sleeping figure up gently. Sabo smiled and nodded. The two walked back to the tree house and a small spark formed between their little brother and them.

-Next Morning-

Sunlight seeped through the opening in the tree house and shined on Luffy's small figure. He groaned and rubbed his eyes slowly. He was still tired. Yawning, Luffy stretched, tail curling up as his sore muscles felt much better. Now slightly awake he looked around and found that he was inside that tree house that he was at before. His ears twitched backwards as he heard snores and turned around to find Ace and Sabo also sleeping next to him. He looked for his hat and found it on the table. He took it and put the string over his neck, the straw hat now hanging limply on his back. He jumped outside and looked for a water source. Luffy kept walking around randomly and found a river. He waded in not too deep and started washing his face. Then he grabbed a handful of water and cleaned his ears thoroughly along with his tail. Slowly dragging his hand across the soft fur to make sure that all the dirt washed off, Makino had taught him that washing his ears and tail were what cats do to clean themselves, for some reason he kind of enjoyed it since it passed the time, maybe it was a cat thing? Luffy walked out and shook his head clearing the water off and flicked his tail back and forth. After drying off Luffy went back and ate some fruit along the way. He was hungry.

"Sabo I'm hungry." Luffy whined trying to wake his brother. Sabo groaned and turned around. Luffy pouted slightly until he felt arms wrapping around his waist. Ace hugged him tightly mumbling words. Luffy sulked as he just laid there acting like a stuffed toy to hug. He decided that it was becoming uncomfortable so he squirmed out of Ace's arms quickly and ran outside to hunt. Walking along he found some mushrooms and plopped them in his mouth. They were pretty good for raw mushrooms. He quickly devoured the last of them and he was still hungry. Luffy saw a spider, but stuck his tongue out with a disgusted look, last time he ate one they tasted bitter and stringy. He sprinted and found a bird. He crouched and his eyes narrowed as he crept forward. He waited for a few moments and sprang out. The bird tried to fly away but Luffy caught its neck between his teeth and he swiftly killed it.

"That was easier than I expected." Luffy said to himself as he bit into the flesh. Bones were left in a pile as Luffy's stomach was filled for now and he licked his lips. Any meat tasted good on his tongue.

"Now what…" Luffy began to get bored and he adventured around the woods. Luffy found a stick and held it. While walking around he hummed a tune while tapping the stick on his shoulder. Maybe it wasn't going to be so boring after all. Luffy found another river and it was bigger this time. "Ooooh!" He noticed some crocodiles swimming inside and crouched over the edge, looking inside the clear water.

-Back at the Tree house-

Sabo woke up and stumbled upwards only to trip over a blanket and he fell on top of Ace waking him up in the process.

"Sorry…" Sabo said while giving a weak smile. Ace gave a glare and stretched. Sabo looked around. "Hey where's Luffy?" Ace's mouth began to form a frown and so did Sabo's. Luffy was an idiot and he always dragged trouble around with him wherever he went. Both looked at each other and shared a silent agreement. Jumping out of the tree house they looked around metal pole in hand. Then a scream was heard in the distance.

-Back with Luffy-

There were many fish swimming in the clear water and Luffy looked in awe. It looked so pretty, but he didn't notice something slide out of the water slowly. Luffy was suddenly grabbed and hurtled into the water. He fell with a splash and saw a crocodile going back inside and about to drag him down. With no options left he gave a loud scream, hoping someone would hear and come rescue him. He tried to stay above water as much as he could, but to no avail. His body started sinking like a heavy weight again. The crocodile watched making no move as his prey began to drown and then it heaved Luffy's small body up throwing him in the air for fun and opened up his jaw. Luffy quickly regained strength once again and held the jaw open with his two legs as long as possible. The crocodile was too strong and began to slowly close his sharp teeth around the small boy.

"LUFFY!" Ace and Sabo yelled as they charged through the trees and whacked the crocodile hard on the head. Ace huffed while dragging breakfast out from the river while Sabo ran towards Luffy, checking for any wounds. Luckily he found none and Sabo sighed in relief.

"Sabo, Ace…" Luffy wailed as his ears and tail drooped. He was cold and wet, but fine.

"YOU IDIOT ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?!" Ace yelled while hitting him on the head. Luffy then started to cry.

"S-sorry!" he sniffled and hugged Ace's pants tightly his small fingers grasping the fabric. Ace had a look of surprise and his eyes softened. No matter how, he just couldn't get mad at the boy. Sighing he kneeled down to face Luffy and ruffled his hair.

"Are you okay?" He asked sternly. Luffy nodded and brushed away his tears. "Never do that again okay? Make sure you have me or Sabo with you." Ace scolded and Luffy nodded again. Sabo smiled, Luffy was really becoming more important to them as time passed he had noticed. Days had passed and both Ace and Sabo had been keeping a very close eye on Luffy and he was always seen with one or both of them. Dadan had admitted that she had also warmed up to the child and Luffy finally managed to trust the mountain bandits finding out they weren't bad at all. Weeks had passed and now both became protective of Luffy, he was pretty oblivious and they decided to keep him away from society until he grew up a little more. Luffy had become an important part in their lives and all three ate, slept, adventured and did many things together. Then came a day where a fruit came into play.

-A Year Later-

Luffy hummed while jumping from tree to tree. Ace and Sabo had taught him how to fight and now he became pretty good at it. They also taught him many other skills that they knew and Luffy soaked it all in like a sponge. Today was the day that they were going to verse the king of the jungle which was another tiger but this one had a nasty scar over its eye and was bigger. He was excited and couldn't wait to fight, how this happened, let's go back a bit.

-oOo-

_"Hey Luffy what do you want to be when you grow up?" Sabo asked and Luffy immediately answered. _

_ "I want to be the Pirate King!" Sabo and Ace held a look of surprise before laughing and Luffy fumed. _

_ "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!" He yelled tail bristled. Ace stopped laughing, and he ruffled Luffy's hair._

_ "Because we have a similar dream like you!" Ace replied. "We also want to become pirates and be free." Luffy smiled and he lightened up until Sabo ruined it._

_ "But we were laughing because a small kid like you can't become pirate king, especially when you can't swim, Pft." Sabo said and then laughed again, Ace also howled in laughter. _

_ "YOU GUYS ARE CRUEL!" Luffy yelled. "STUPID ACE AND SABO!" Ace came up with an idea._

_ "Hey why don't you two join my crew?" He asked with a hopeful look._

_ "No." Both answered plain and simple. Ace grinned and knew that this would be their answer. All three asked one another but the same answer was 'No'. Then Sabo declared that they should have a contest to see who's more fit to become captain._

_ "Good idea Sabo! Let's fight the king of the jungle and see who wins!" Ace said his grin even wider. Luffy became determined to defeat the king and become captain. All three put one hand in the middle and wished luck to each other. _

_ "Let's see who's going to be the best captain out of all three of us!" _

_ "OUU!" _

-oOo-

He finally arrived at the place where Ace was going to drag the tiger in. Sabo was already there sitting on a rock, metal pole by his side. Both teens had also gifted Luffy a pole of his own and he used it well.

"Sabo!" Luffy cried out running over. Sabo grinned and waved until thundering footsteps was heard and flocks of birds flew into the sky causing a ruckus. Sabo jumped off and both of them prepared for the fight. Ace appeared from the forest and ran towards them a massive tiger on his back.

"Ready, set, GO!" And the battle began. Luffy charged straight ahead while Sabo flanked its side with a body slam. Ace jumped up high in the air and swung his metal pole down onto the tiger's head. None of their attacks would do anything though and would only cause the tiger's anger to well up even more. The tiger had enough and flung a huge unsheathed paw at the youngest, Luffy. Ace and Sabo noticed this and rushed over holding the paw to prevent it from crushing their precious younger brother.

"Luffy move out of the way!" Sabo yelled teeth gritted. Luffy nodded and scrambled away as both teens let go while jumping out of the way. The earth was crushed underneath the force and Ace whistled at the strength. The tiger whirled around and slammed his tail into Ace's and Sabo's stomach knocking the wind out of their lungs as they were slammed into a boulder. Luffy cried out in surprise as the tiger raised its paw for another attack and Luffy ran towards them. The tingling was felt again and he started to run on all fours. Obsidion black fur grew on his body as he morphed into a creature of some sort and was as big as the tiger itself.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER'S!" Luffy snarled as he bit into the tiger's shoulder. He roared in pain while Ace and Sabo watched in shock. Luffy pulled away and pounced on his back striking again while clawing at the tigers flank making crimson blood seep down onto his fur. The tiger quickly pulled away and ran away while favoring its wounds and Luffy changed back to his normal size.

"Yeah! Did you see that Ace, Sabo? I beat him so badly!" Luffy cried out.

"L-Luffy, what was that?" Sabo asked. Luffy stopped and looked behind him while tilting his head in confusion. He wasn't aware. "N-never mind." Luffy cheered and claimed that he was going to be captain and both brothers snapped out of their shock as they hit him on the head claiming that they'll never work under a boy smaller than them. Ace and Sabo never found out what the heck that creature was, but they will soon.

** Yay it's done but nooo its short T^T errr here's the second chapter? THANK YOU for the kind reviews you have given me many inspirations to continue the story QAQ Err I hope you enjoy it? Owo This was done kinda quickly….**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! Luffy's Devil Fruit form has been introduced in this chapter, but there will be more to find out later! Err yeah sorry for the bad chapter OAO Err I do hope you enjoy it…Yes he has a Zoan**

**Chapter 3-Sworn Brothers, the Adventure Starts!**

"All right I managed to steal it!" a voice giggled while running. In his hand was a bottle of Sake and his grip was tight as If it were an important treasure. Luffy grinned as he kept running towards a certain area. Today was an important day for him. He finally found the clearing and jumped out of the forest.

"Ace, Sabo I got it!" Luffy cried out in joy, his onyx eyes sparkled with excitement. Ace and Sabo turned around while smiling at the boy. In the middle was a tree stump and was wide enough to be a small table. This was it, the time when he would finally become official brothers with Ace and Sabo.

"Oh Luffy we've been expecting you by now!" Ace said while grinning and placed out three red cups.

"Nice job taking it from Dadan!" Sabo praised and Luffy stuck out his chest in pride. It was the first time he actually stole something and it was also important, so he felt proud of himself. Luffy placed the bottle in the middle of the stump and sat down next to Sabo. The three formed a triangle and Ace grabbed the bottle. Luffy's tail swished side to side on the grass, he was getting impatient.

_"Hey, did you know that if you share Sake with others, then they would become brothers?" _Luffy remembered that quote very well from Ace who had mentioned it and both older brothers decided it was time to officially become a family. Slowly Ace poured the Sake into each cup and held his in the air. Sabo also held his cup in the air a gentle smile on his face, he remembered doing this a long time ago. Luffy copied what the other two were doing and grinned.

"From today and from now on, we're officially brothers!" Ace said while standing up. Sabo stood up and bumped his cup into Ace's while Luffy jumped up into the air performing in the same matter.

"YEAH!" all three of them agreed while drinking the Sake from the cups at the same time. Luffy reluctantly swallowed it and stuck his tongue out. Sabo and Ace were fine, but it was still a little bitter on their tongue.

"Bitter…" Luffy mumbled sticking his tongue out even more. Ace and Sabo laughed at the gesture, which was their reaction when they first tried it as well. Luffy soon got over the bitterness and smiled while jumping into Sabo and Ace's arms. Sabo held Luffy in his arms and was smiling while Luffy grinned and Ace was ruffling his hair. It was a warm and touching picture, the beginning of a new brotherhood.

-A year later-

Luffy was now nine and His brothers were sixteen, one more year with them and they would both set out to sea. He wondered if they would take him along, he didn't want to be left alone for seven more years. His ears flattened at the thought of being left alone. Right now he was alone in the tree house, Ace and Sabo had to go to a Gray Terminal. Luffy didn't even know what that meant or what it was. He sulked and lay on the soft white blanket. It was boring without them here. They both played with him and took care of him, in short they were really good brothers. Secretly he wished that they were blood related, but he knew that was impossible. At least they were brothers by a special bond. Luffy smiled gently and washed his ears in boredom. His ears then shot up. His devil fruit! He didn't even know what it was or what it could do, and kind of forgot all about it… He decided to try and activate it or try and use it. Luffy jumped outside and walked into an empty space. But then he thought, what should he do, he didn't know what his devil fruit could even do. Maybe he stretched? Luffy tried and pulling his cheek which resulted in a small sore spot on his face which he rubbed. Nope. Maybe he could make earthquakes? He tried to stomp on the earth as hard as he could which only resulted in a small crack. Nope. Luffy rolled around on the floor in frustration. Maybe if he thought about protecting someone dear to him it would activate? Luffy beamed and praised himself. But what should he think of? Luffy snarled and banged his head against a tree. This devil fruit thing was so difficult! Then he remembered the time when Ace and Sabo were almost hurt. Luffy felt useless and hopeless at that time, but then he had a surge of courage and determination to save his brothers… THAT'S IT! Luffy should think of his brothers!

"Okay!" Luffy said determined. He closed his eyes and imagined his brothers almost getting slain by a creature. Sweat rolled down his face, it was scary, and he never wanted that to happen…No! He had to learn how to control the fruit, and then he could protect them! Yeah that was it! He could protect people who he cherished and prevent them from dying! He closed his eyes again thinking of the same image and imagined himself running towards them in determination and desperation. Luffy felt that tingling throughout his body again. This time it didn't feel all that weird, but what was it? Black fur began to grow on his body once more and his body grew bigger. Luffy opened his eyes the second the tingling stopped. So…what happened? He looked around and saw that he grew taller.

"COOL SO I GET TO TURN INTO A GIANT?!" he beamed but then stopped as he felt the wind ruffle his…fur? He looked at his hand and saw pure white claws gleaming in the sunlight. They were sharp and his "hand" looked like a cat's paw, and with white fur. He looked down and saw his hands were covered with white fur while the rest of his arms were covered with black fur. He then walked towards a river and took a good look at himself. What was he? An animal of some sort or a dragon? He really couldn't tell. His mouth kind of looked like a beak since there was a curve at the end of his top jaw. There were white antlers that sprouted backwards on his head and had a slight curve to them. His whole body was covered in black and white fur and his cat ears were still there, just a little bigger. He still had onyx eyes and his lower jaw was covered in a white strip which ran down from his chest to his stomach and then towards the tail. His tail had a patch of pure white fur at the end, kind of like what you would see on a lion's tail or a giraffe's tail. But his tail shape was that of a dragon's or lizard whatever you call them. He had a long body kind of like a Chinese dragon; he actually looked very similar to one, but no scales. Luffy had wavy white marks on his back like what you would see on a tiger. He had a few spots on his hind legs like what you would see on a leopard. What the hell was he? Then Luffy came to a conclusion.

"I'm a mystery animal!" He cried out in joy, well not cried, more like roared. Even though having an immense size he wasn't scary at all. His eyes were big and friendly looking, not intimidating at all, they also had an "I'm innocent" look to them. "This is so cool I should go tell Ace and Sabo about this!" But then he stopped short. "What can I even do? Can I just scratch and bite others?" Luffy didn't like the idea of that, it made him look weak. His big eyes narrowed as he thought of what he may be able to do. After a few minutes of thinking his face turned red.

"Oh no I shouldn't think too much, I'll get a fever…" he mumbled to himself and then came up with an idea. "I look like a dragon so maybe I can breathe fire!" He tried by sucking in air and blowing it out, but the only that came out was a fierce roar which scared many birds away. "That was pretty cool, but it's a shame I can't breathe fire…" Then Luffy came up with a problem. How does he change back? Luffy began to sweat considerably. He was way too big and Sabo and Ace might not recognize him! This was bad…Then Luffy should just think the opposite! That everyone was safe.

'When are you this smart?' Luffy grinned. And then he pictured everyone safe and sound with Luffy in their arms and everyone was smiling. A tingling sense was felt again and he felt him shrink. Luffy looked at himself and saw he was now back to normal, ears and tail and all. He smiled and ran back to the tree house; he couldn't wait to tell this to his brothers! Along the way he picked up some fruit and held them in his arms, they would be good snacks, he then thought of giving one to Ace and Sabo. Luffy picked up some apples and a strange small pumpkin shaped thingy that had swirls. It was round and had a color like that of a setting sun. It was pretty. Luffy would give it to Ace as a present for taking care of him; he would have to think of one for Sabo as well.

-A Few Hours Later-

"WE'RE HOME!" Ace yelled while jumping up into the tree house and Sabo climbed up the ladder that Luffy put down.

"Welcome home! Ace, Sabo you wouldn't believe what happened to me today while you were gone!" Luffy beamed. Both brothers exchanged a worried look, if something happened then that would mean trouble, but thankfully as Luffy explained it was just transforming because of a fruit…yeah transforming because of a…

"WHAT?!" Both yelled while looking at Luffy with disbelieving faces.

"So let me get this straight, you looked like a dragon, a deer, a tiger, a leopard, a cat, a bird, and had a fluffy tail along with black and white fur?" Sabo asked with a surprised look, his description made no sense at all. All three brothers were seated at the table currently conversing about Luffy's experience.

"And you were actually SMART and THOUGHT about what you could do to activate it?" Ace said with an even more disbelieving look. Luffy noticed this and pouted.

"It's all true it really happened, I can even show it to you!" Luffy insisted and crossed his arms over his chest while pouting.

"No Luffy it's not like we don't believe you, I mean we do…since you're pretty much a horrible liar." Sabo said while mumbling the last part. Luffy's cat ear twitched and looked at Sabo.

"Do you really believe me?" He asked with a puppy eyed look. Sabo immediately got flustered. He had hated it when Luffy had used his 'puppy eyed' technique and its beginning to get really effective. Luffy had begun to use this a few months ago without even realizing it.

"No! I mean yes! I do believe your story!" Sabo said quickly and Luffy smiled in relief. Ace just huffed and placed his chin on his hand with a dull look.

"Really, that's so cool Luffy…" Ace said with a sarcastic tone. Luffy's tail bristled as he stood up on his chair.

"IT'S TRUE! AND YOU REMIND ME OF THAT JERK SHANKS, WHEN HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!" Luffy yelled. Ace and Sabo really needed to thank that man for taking care of his brother, in a way they respected him and he was a great pirate after all. Luffy told many things about Shanks and now both brothers knew who he was, how he looked like, his crew and more things that Luffy could describe, in short Luffy was pretty much _really _attached to this Shanks and this kind of irked the two brothers. Ace laughed and he picked up Luffy while setting him on his lap.

"I'm just kidding Luffy calm down!" Ace said while chuckling and Luffy composed himself. "I'm sorry for making you mad." Luffy just smiled and then made a look as if he had remembered something.

"Oh yeah Ace I found something for you today!" He chirped while running to get the item. He held the "disgusting mystery fruit" out in front of Ace. "This is a gift for you for taking care of me all this time! And I need to find one for Sabo too!" Luffy said while he threw his arms in the air while Ace took the fruit. He felt really happy that Luffy had given him something and tackled his little brother into a hug. Sabo grinned and also felt happy that Luffy had thought of him as well and decided he would wait patiently for the present. Then he took a good look at the fruit. It had a really beautiful shade of colors and almost represented the color of fire and the sunset. It had many swirls surrounding the fruit itself which each individual swirl looked like a small ball of fire.

"It's a disgusting mystery fruit!" Luffy beamed, "I ate one before that looked like that." Ace and Sabo looked at the fruit in surprise. It was a devil fruit!

"What kind of devil fruit is this?" Ace asked to himself, while inspecting the fruit, turning it around.

"A disgusting mystery fruit!" Luffy repeated. Ace grimaced, was it really disgusting as his brother as said? If his younger brother said its disgusting then its taste must be absolutely horrible, since he eats almost everything and thinks they all taste great. Sabo decided he wouldn't want to eat one, not being able to swim is a bad thing and he preferred to keep his humanity thanks.

"Should I eat it and see what I get?" Ace asked still inspecting the fruit. He wasn't sure whether or not he himself should actually lose his ability to swim in exchange for an ability heck he didn't even know what type of fruit it was.

"Eh, I suggest not to because one, you don't even know what it is and two, you lose your ability to swim which really isn't a good thing for a pirate." Sabo said explaining a few reasons. Ace nodded and decided to just keep it just in case. Ace held the fruit up to eye level and inspected it again, he may be able to guess what it is if he observed what features it had. While Ace was thinking and observing, Luffy squirmed in his lap to try and look at the fruit again and accidently tripped on his tail slamming his face onto the table and at the same time Ace opened his mouth in surprise as Luffy's flailing arm shoved the fruit into his mouth and stuck it in his throat. Ace's eyes popped out as he tried to spit it out gasping for air and Sabo panicked he didn't know who to help and picked up Luffy with one arm while slamming Ace's back with the other to help him out. To Ace's dismay he swallowed the fruit, but at least he could breathe again, he thought he was going to die there!

"Luffy… what the…hell…was that for?!" Ace said while gasping for breath. Luffy looked up guiltily.

"Sorry Ace! I-I just wanted to help you take a look at the fruit to and…and…" Luffy sniffled; he almost killed his own brother by choking him. Sabo sighed and softly stroked Luffy's head, he always like it when he did that. Luffy calmed down and looked at Ace with an apologetic look, the said teen sighed and leaned back into his chair, well there goes his swimming ability.

"Now what the hell does it do?" Ace asked to himself, it was too late now and he couldn't really change the past, so might as well learn how to use it. Both Luffy and Sabo shrugged at the same time with blank looks. "Well you guys are not helping at all…" Ace snorted.

"Hey come on what's done is done maybe you'll learn what it does later." Sabo said while smiling. Ace huffed and then put his chin on the table and sulked, he hoped that it would be an awesome power.

-Later at Night-

Ace awoke and looked at his brothers, they were both sleeping, and Luffy kicked his covers off in his sleep. Ace smiled while covering his little brother again and Luffy curled up in the warmth. Ace decided it would time to discuss what would happen later, it's best to plan it earlier after all. He woke up Sabo by gently shaking his shoulder.

"Wha-?" Sabo asked quickly sitting up and looked around frantically as if expecting enemies and then looked at Ace with a confused look. Ace pointed at Luffy then put his finger to his mouth and then pointed outside. Sabo nodded and followed him outside quietly.

"So what is it that you need to talk about?" Sabo asked while taking a walk in the forest. Ace stopped and sat down on the cool grass.

"We need to talk about Luffy." He explained and Sabo gave an "Oh" look, it was almost time that they would set out anyways. "Anyways we need to decide whether we leave him here or we take him with us." Sabo gaped.

"Ace! You know how dangerous it could be for a ten year old out at sea!" Sabo hissed in a low voice and Ace nodded. He already knew what could happen if they decided to take him anyways.

"I know, but Luffy is going to be alone for a long time, and he's pretty much oblivious to anything." Ace said closing his eyes, they would have to make a hard decision, take the chance and bring their little brother or leave him to be alone, or stay at the island and wait. The third decision was a no go, he and Sabo had been waiting for this moment all these years! But he didn't want to leave his brother behind. He shut his eyes tight in frustration, Sabo was in deep thought.

"Well what should we do?" Ace asked again. Sabo sighed and sat down as well this may take a while after all.

"I don't know Ace, I really don't know…" Sabo said while having a pained expression, Ace opened his eyes and lay on the grass. It was a long night for the two brothers as they thought about what would happen when the time came. During the middle of thinking both fell asleep side by side. When morning came Ace woke up with a start and Sabo also jolted awake. Ace felt a sneeze coming and tried to hold it in, but couldn't and sneezed, but it really wasn't he expected it to be. Fire came out of his mouth and turned into a fireball as it slammed into a wandering rabbit and it burned to death. Ace had a look of surprise and then sweat dropped. Sabo prayed that it had a swift death, although he was surprised as well.

"So…let's pretend that never happened…" Ace said and Sabo nodded in agreement feeling sorry for the poor creature. "And…that means my power has something to do with fire?" Sabo nodded again. Ace looked thoughtful for a moment and shrugged. "Hey that's a pretty useful ability I have there."

"Yeah…" Sabo said, and then remembered something. "Hey but what about Luffy's ability?" He asked and Ace scrunched up his face.

"Good question, probably a mixture of many animals, it kinda suits him you know, but what can he do?" Ace asked the last part to himself. "Maybe he can transform into other things?" Ace suggested. Now it was Sabo's turn to look thoughtful and he tried to remember the time when he first transformed.

"Er probably judging by the fact that he has many parts of other animals that could call him a hybrid…" Sabo concluded. "Maybe your hypothesis is right…"

"Hypothe- what?" Ace asked and Sabo face palmed.

"Okay let me rephrase that, maybe your _guess_ is right." He said while putting his fingers into quotes at the word "guess". Ace chuckled and stood up.

"Well we should go back; Luffy should be waking up soon." He said while walking off towards the tree house. "Oh and get some breakfast while we're at it!" He laughed and Sabo laughed  
along. All three of them were pretty much gluttons, but for some reason never got fat, then again that's one thing in common!

Over the days Ace told Luffy about his devil fruit powers and Luffy was awed and also was disappointed since he couldn't even breathe fire. Luffy gave Sabo his present that he promised to give which was a sky blue sea stone staff with a light golden handle, Sabo will never know where the heck he had obtained that, but happily accepted it. Later on Luffy finally showed his brothers his ability proudly and both looked closely at the details figuring out what he ate and what it could do, but unfortunately found nothing. So in the end they just named it the creature creature fruit. Both Ace and Sabo trained harder than ever to prepare for their long journey ahead of them and Luffy watched, sometimes even joining in to become stronger himself, during training Ace had self taught himself to use his devil fruit efficiently and so did Luffy. Unfortunately Luffy never formed a strong build unlike Ace and Sabo to his dismay. Ace decided to take some lessons to being polite to thank Shanks later on in the future for taking care of Luffy, both Makino and Sabo helped with these lessons and took quite a long time… Since Luffy was growing bigger he could finally wear the straw hat Shanks had given him and wore it proudly. It would also work as a cover for his ears, but the two older brothers didn't know what to do with the tail so they decided to just hide it under Luffy's shirt. Then Luffy discovered a new ability he had because of his devil fruit.

"Ace guess what?" Luffy asked with a toothy grin. Ace was still tired and god it was still dark outside! When Ace didn't reply Luffy transformed into a different form. He unsheathed his claws while poking Ace in the cheek.

Poke. Ace's eyes shut tightly. Poke. A tick mark grew on his forehead; it was kind of getting annoying…Poke. "Luffy…" Ace said in a warning voice. Poke. "Luffy really stop it…" STAB. "OUCH WHEN DID YOUR NAILS GET SO…" Ace shot up and looked at Luffy but stopped mid sentence. Big black cat ears twitched as the sun rose up and a small black animal nose also twitched cutely. His eyes were a perfect circle and black beady pupils looked up back at Ace and tiny white antlers shot up from his head. His tail was fluffy and big like a foxes while his paws were also small and chibi like. He was standing up on two legs and was small. (To people who have watched/read One Piece right now Luffy is the size of Chopper…) Luffy's muzzle, chest, stomach, and the bottom of his tail had white fur and the rest was black. It kind of resembled the huge hybrid, just way cuter. One his back were tiny small white feathery wings. Overall his head was almost as big as his body.

"Ace look what I discovered!" Luffy cried out in delight sticking out his tiny paws in the air. Ace stood there agape until he tackled Luffy into a tight hug, he looked so adorable! Who wouldn't hug him when he's like this! "Ace can't breathe!" Luffy managed to gasp out. His voice got a little higher too! Ace quickly let go and apologized. Luffy put his small paws onto his mouth as he giggled.

"So what is that form?" Ace asked resisting the urge to hug him again. Luffy thought and thought until he replied.

"I don't know." He said with a confused look. Ace fell to the ground and asked a question again.

"How did you discover that?" Luffy washed his ears while thinking and then replied.

"Well I wanted to fly cause all dragons fly so I kinda jumped off a tree and I discovered this form, but that's not important Ace I can fly!" Luffy cried out in glee. Ace lightly hit Luffy on the head for his recklessness and then gave a scolding which Luffy tried to listen to.

"Can you change back?" Ace asked after the scolding and Luffy nodded swiftly changing back to his normal form, black cat tail swishing back and forth across the wooden floor. "Hm, maybe you may have more transformations…"

"Really?!" Luffy beamed, his eyes sparkling. Ace thought and nodded slowly.

"It's a possibility." Luffy cheered and decided to show it to Sabo. (Reasons as to why will be explained later on in the story as well as his devil fruit and he has somewhat a similar ability like Chopper when he eats the rumble ball, why? Well I thought it would be pretty cool to have Luffy transform into different forms like Chopper!)

-One More Year Later-

It was finally time for Ace and Sabo to leave, the villagers and bandits crowded around the shore patiently awaiting the goodbye and also some smiled sadly, they were going to miss the two. Dadan began to sob as she watched the two she had raised for a while finally leave from the nest.

"Are you really going?" Luffy asked hugging Ace. Ace smiled sadly and patted his head.

"Yeah, we are, but don't worry because guess what?" Ace said to Luffy grinning. Luffy looked up and tilted his head as he held his fuzzy tail. "There's a good catch to this and that is…" The villagers and bandits were about to leave the brothers alone to their goodbye until…

"YOU'RE COMING WITH US LUFFY!" Ace yelled while laughing, he piggy backed Luffy and sped away towards the boat. The group stopped abruptly and ran back yelling in outrage at the thought of the two bringing a small boy with them. Luffy giggled in delight as Ace ran as fast as he could and then jumped on the boat ignoring the protests from the people. Dadan cried even more as she saw that they were growing up so fast and Makino just smiled accepting the decision, she trusted and knew that they would protect and take care of Luffy well.

"SABO HURRY UP AND LETS GO!" Ace yelled while throwing his hands up in the air. He grinned and unfurled the sails as they headed off onto a new journey.

"BYE EVERYONE THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!" Luffy cheered while waving, he was really excited and happy that his brothers had decided to take him out to sea with them! The yelling died down and then came yelling of encouragements as well as advice.

"GOOD LUCK YOU THREE!"

"YOU BETTER MAKE SURE YOU TAKE GOOD CARE OF LUFFY, ACE AND SABO!"

"MAKE US PROUD!"

"YEAH WE WILL WATCH US BECOME FAMOUS PIRATES!" Sabo yelled while waving a hand. Then Ace came up with an idea.

"Hey since this is the beginning of our adventure why don't we state our dreams right now?" Ace suggested and Luffy nodded jumping up and down in excitement, Sabo also agreed, but he did so more calmly.

"I want to write a book about the whole world and my adventures!" Sabo smiled while tipping his hat.

"I want the world to acknowledge my own existence and become one of the greatest pirates ever!" Ace declared smiling confidently. Luffy looked in confusion he never asked about Ace's past because Sabo asked him not to, and Luffy didn't want to ruin the moment so he went on.

"And I want to become THE KING OF THE PIRATES!" He yelled while jumping up in the air. Sabo and Ace smiled at his enthusiasm while secretly making a vow.

'And we will risk our own lives to protect out younger little brother.'

** Banzai…it's done…My arms feel like mush for some reason…Anyways Luffy's appearance in his devil fruit form has appeared, but there's more to it than it looks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I am crying tears of sadness because this was pretty bad and I'm sorry…T^T Err wait for the next one, if you wanna…Oh and one more thing, Luffy's cat appearance does have some slight importance to the story :D **

**OTL**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry x50 **


	4. Chapter 4

**To Fruitstogether-Yeah he will, Luffy will get the same crew the same way with a few different edits!**

**To Himitsu no Neko- Thanks! And yeah sure I'll draw a picture of him for the cover, but I may have been a little over exaggerating and not too sure if you'll enjoy the drawing. And thanks for the corrections I'll make sure to use them this time! I'm really glad you're enjoying it! **

**To Annibananni-Don't worry! I will! Glad you're into it, and it's just that school is in the way right now, but I'll try and update ASAP!**

** Thank you for the nice reviews T^T Uuuu…Well here's Chapter 4! Enjoy**

** Chapter 4-First Mate, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!**

"Hahahaha, it's such a nice day isn't it guys?" Ace asked while looking up at the clear sky one hand shading his eyes from the sun.

"Yeah, but who knew that our journey would END RIGHT HERE!" Sabo yelled whacking Ace on the head. Ace fell onto the floor asleep and Sabo sighed.

"Wow that sure is a big whirlpool right Sabo?!" Luffy exclaimed pointing at the whirlpool that they were currently being SUCKED INTO. Ace quickly woke up again and looked where Luffy was pointing.

"Yeah you're right that's pretty big!" Ace whistled. Sabo whacked Ace on the head again while giving Luffy a flick to the forehead.

"You guys were going to die soon if we don't figure something out!" Sabo said quickly looking for anything they could use. "We just set off and now we're stuck in a freaking whirlpool, wow we have such great luck…" Sabo muttered darkly to himself, and his brothers weren't helping the situation either, both were currently staring at the whirlpool murmuring to each other how long it would take for them to drown. Sabo eyed the huge barrel they brought with them, maybe they could all fit in there…He opened the lid and nothing was inside because Ace and Luffy ate everything after five minutes of doing nothing.

"Ace hold Luffy and get inside this barrel." Sabo ordered and Ace quickly carried out the task quickly crouching inside the barrel, surprisingly there was still enough room for Sabo to fit in.

'What a big barrel…' Sabo though as he closed the lid. The boat finally broke apart in the middle and the three brothers rolled around for a good few minutes and everything stopped.

"L-Luffy, Sabo are you two alright?" Ace asked while shaking his head trying to clear the dizziness away. Ace felt Luffy's tail brush against his hand and he knew that his youngest brother was okay.

"Alive and kicking Ace, just really dizzy…" Sabo said holding his head in one hand. "Is Luffy fine?" He asked concern clearly shown in his voice.

"Yeah he's also dizzy though just give him a few moments to recover and he'll start running off his mouth." Ace replied. It was _cramped_ inside the barrel and was really uncomfortable, Ace had to hold in the urge to burn it down or else all three of them would probably die. Sabo sighed in relief and crossed his arms, not that anyone could see it was pitch black in there!

"Wow what a ride! Ace where are we now?" Luffy exclaimed and then his stomach growled. "I'm hungry…FOOD!" Sabo and Ace sweat dropped.

"This isn't the time to be thinking about food it's the time to be thinking of how the hell to escape." Ace said wrapping his arms around Luffy tighter as if he was going to disappear any moment. After a few minutes of waiting they felt a sharp tug. All three yelped in surprise as they felt themselves being lifted slowly.

"Wow this is one heavy barrel it must be filled with lots of Sake!" A voice said. Sabo knew that currently someone on a ship was hauling them up thinking that they were booze, but who were they? The trio felt a thud and now they were aboard some random ship in the middle of the sea.

"Wher-"Ace quickly covered Luffy's mouth and he shut up. Luffy could feel the seriousness coming off from Ace and knew that something was wrong so he decided it would be best to follow what he says.

"Lucky!" Another voice said. Sabo grimaced; he hoped they didn't open this barrel right then, which would be bad.

"PIRATES! A PIRATE SHIP IS COMING!" Someone yelled. The ship that they were currently aboard on was rocking back and forth violently from some explosions in the water. The brothers went for another rolling session again as they hit objects here and there.

"I'm beginning to feel sick…" Sabo said weakly, the rolling just wouldn't end and finally after crashing into something else again they stopped. Ace and Sabo groaned happy that it finally stopped. Luffy's ears twitched as he heard screaming and yelling.

"Ace, Sabo I hear screaming…" Luffy said. Ace patted his head reassuringly and then they heard the door creak open. Luffy held his straw hat tightly as he heard footsteps approach.

"Hello is anyone here?" A timid voice said. You could see Ace and Sabo visibly relax if there was some light in the barrel, they both knew that this was probably a kid who wandered in here and would be no threat whatsoever. They heard a sigh of relief as the footsteps came closer.

"This is a big barrel I wonder what's in it." Luffy looked up curiously until the barrel jerked and started rolling, but thankfully it was at a slower pace this time. "I should take this back…"

"Hey Coby what are you doing here? Are you hiding like the coward you are again?" A gruff voice asked and more footsteps entered the room. Ace's eyes narrowed and Sabo held his cane tightly.

"N-n-n-no of course not! I-I just saw this big barrel and thought I would bring it back to the ship!" The timid voice or Coby said frantically. Another person whistled and they felt the barrel being lifted back upright.

"Heh we were getting thirsty anyways might as well take a drink or two." A third voice said while patting the top of the barrel.

"W-what, b-b-but if you do that then L-lady Alvida will kill you!" Coby exclaimed. Ace heard knuckles cracking and knew that they were probably going to bust the barrel open, well they'll be in for a surprise.

"Well she won't know if you keep your mouth shut right Coby?" The second voice sneered. Coby didn't say anything, but Ace guessed that he was probably scared.

"Let me open this old fashion way." The gruff voice said. Ace didn't want his younger brother to be hurt by any flying splinters or the punch so he broke the top and jumped out.

"What are you…" Ace started as the people stared in surprise, their mouths open, "going to open again?!" He finished while knocking out the biggest person first with a kick in the jaw. Sabo then jumped out and broke the swords that the other two used to try and attack Ace.

"Thanks but that wasn't really necessary don't you think Sabo?" Ace said while grinning. Sabo just huffed and put his cane over his shoulder.

"Well then that means you're hogging all the fun!" Sabo said while tilting his top hat. The two pirates shrieked and dragged their unconscious partner away. Ace took a good look at this Coby guy, he had big glasses and pink hair, and he also looked as if he had a weak build. Ace decided he was small fry and wasn't going to be any trouble so he looked around. They were currently in a kitchen and Luffy took the chance to jump out.

"Ace where are we?" Luffy asked looking around. "And who's that weakling over there?" Coby's mouth gaped, a small child no older or maybe even younger than him was calling him weak. Well he was he admitted that, but there was no need to be so straight!

"Ahha…Sorry about my younger brother here he's kind of straight forward." Sabo said while putting a hand on Luffy's head. "My name is Sabo, this here is Ace and right here is Luffy." He said while gesturing at the other two.

"Nice to meet you." Ace replied.

"Yo!" Luffy said holding a hand up. Coby's mouth hit the floor, they looked nothing alike! Except for Ace and Luffy, they kind of looked similar in away, but before he could think about it more the kid appeared in front of him.

"Hey do you know where any food is?" Luffy asked holding his stomach. Coby shrieked at the sudden appearance and backed away before shaking his head. Luffy's face fell until his nose twitched.

"I smell food!" He exclaimed while running off Ace and Sabo following close behind. Coby sweat dropped, these people were so carefree, and did they not know pirates were aboard this ship currently? They entered a small room where apparently was the food storage. Luffy opened a random box and drooled.

"This looks so good!" he said while wolfing down the apples, Sabo and Ace also helped themselves to the food, they were hungry after all. Coby closed the door and sighed, deeming that the room would be safe for now.

"Um, so my name is Coby…"

"We know." All three of them said at once, gulping down the food they were eating before continuing once more. Mentally Coby face palmed.

"So why were you in the barrel?" He asked, curious, it's not every day a three people are found inside a barrel.

"We got sucked into this whirlpool, but we managed to survive somehow luckily." Sabo explained, eating an apple. "Well even though we just became pirates we can't even have the first day peaceful." Coby's eyes popped out.

"You guys are pirates?!" He yelled and the three of them nodded. "Just the three of you?!" A nod in response once more.

"That's impossible, where are you heading right now?!" Coby asked waving his arms in the air.

"The Grand Line!" Luffy said throwing his arms in the air. Coby shook his head and repeated the word impossible until Luffy hit him on the head.

"Ow what was that for…"Coby whined.

"You were getting annoying." Luffy said and Ace nodded in agreement. Coby laughed nervously, he was used to this already.

"Hey…do you think I could become a marine?" Coby blurted out. His eyes widened, he wasn't so sure why he had said that, but he just…did it.

"Yeah of course, as long as you believe in yourself and put effort while holding onto that dream you can probably do it." Sabo said while nodding. Coby smiled and then his confidence hardened.

"Yeah I'll do it, I'll become a marine a strong one and then capture pirates like Alvida and-"but his sentence was cut off short as an iron mace with spikes crashed down through the wall.

"WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CAPTURE? COBY!" A voice yelled and a fat lady walked in Ace and Sabo watched her carefully while Luffy kept gorging himself in food. Coby lost all his confidence and became weak as his legs shivered in fright. "Coby, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" The fat old hag asked while smirking.

"W-why of course y-" Coby started, but was interrupted.

"Who's that fat old biddy?" Luffy asked pointing at the woman. Ace howled in laughter as he rolled on the floor clutching his stomach. Even Sabo kind of chuckled at the comment. The pirates mouths fell to the floor and Coby paused sweating a fountain. The pirate, named Alvida grew a few tick marks as she held her iron mace in the air preparing to strike the young boy.

"YOU BRAT!" The iron mace swung down but was shattered as an angry Ace appeared in front of the boy.

"**Don't you dare hurt Luffy."** Ace said in a menacing and dark tone that guaranteed death. Sabo's eyes narrowed as he saw the act, but decided to leave it to Ace. Alvida stepped back and her crew grew frightened, someone had actually destroyed the mace, and with one hand no less! What did he do? Luffy swallowed the rest of his food as he tugged at Ace's pants.

"Can I try this time?" he asked innocently. Ace smirked and nodded moving out of the way as Luffy ran forward arm reeled back in a punch. Luffy landed the hit, hard reinforced with his devil fruit as a brief transformation took place. Alvida flew in the air and landed in the water causing a huge spray of ocean water to burst up.

"Wow she's heavier than a cannonball." Ace said while smirking, Luffy laughed and Sabo stood up while pointing to the pirates who shivered.

"Give this kid a boat, he claimed that he was going to be a marine, now hurry up!" Sabo said in a cheerful, yet commanding voice.

"Yes sir!" they said while running and placing an extra dingy down into the ocean.

"Coby lets go!"Luffy said while laughing and jumped onto the boat with Ace and Sabo. Coby tried to go in easily but slipped and hit his head on the boat hard. Luffy noticed another boat next to them and saw an orange haired girl who looked in surprise, he gave a smile and they rowed away.

"Ah~ so bored." Ace groaned while leaning his head over the edge of the boat. It's been a few hours of rowing and there was absolutely nothing to do. Luffy showed Coby his ears and tail when both Ace and Sabo allowed it and his expression was hilarious to Luffy. Now they were currently playing I spy.

"I spy something blu-" Luffy began but was cut off by Coby.

"The sky." Luffy looked amazed and asked how he knew which Coby sweat dropped. He was looking straight into the sky it was really obvious.

"We should be arriving at the next island soon." Sabo said looking at the sky, he was also bored and he knew basic navigation so they were fine for now, but they really needed a real navigator. The group drifted on until Luffy spotted the island as his ears and tail shot up. Coby still had to get used to those features, he had never seen one and this would probably be the last he would see of it. Once they docked at the island, Luffy rushed off and made sure to hide his cat features before rushing off, his older brothers had taught him it was very very very important to do so. Ace and Coby ran after him while Sabo went around town asking for information. Luffy found a marine base and was awed by it while Ace and Coby ran up to him.

"L-Luffy-san…please be a little less reckless…" Coby said while gasping for breath. Ace looked at the base and then at the wall which Luffy was currently trying to climb. Ace gave Luffy a heave and he jumped over. Ace jumped after him with Coby having a little more difficulty.

"Ace look there's a man in the middle!" Luffy cried out while running towards the man. He had a white T-shirt with a green stomach warmer, a black bandana around his head and black pants with boots. He wasn't in the best shape, but he was still living and strong willed. "Hey who are you and why are you tied up?" Luffy asked. The man looked at him and then blinked. What the hell was a kid doing here? Was he stupid or something?

"Go away kid, this isn't a place where you should be." The man scoffed. Luffy just smiled as he walked closer. "Please can you tell me your name?" He pleaded with his killer move, the Big Eyed Puppy Face. The man clearly was unnerved by the look and eventually gave in.

"My name is Roronoa Zoro, now leave." Zoro said while giving a glare. Ace just sat back and watched the small conversation. Coby fell off the wall after hearing his name, the pirate hunter Zoro no wonder he looked so familiar!

"Wow what do you do mister?" Luffy asked, becoming interested with the man. Zoro sighed and knew he probably wouldn't go away.

"Look if you don't go away the marines will come here soon and they'll kill you; they won't have any mercy even on a five year old now scram." Zoro said in a low voice. Ace raised an eyebrow at the word kill; he never knew the marines were this cruel, but then again thinking back on his grandfather…no he didn't want to remember that.

"Roronoa Zoro, I see you're having some trouble with a kid hm?" A mocking and annoying voice said. A man with a double chin wearing a suit and mushroom blond hair walked inside, two marines behind him. Luffy looked at him with a blank look and lost interest while asking Zoro more questions. Ace decided to watch a little more before stepping in, he should see what his little brother would do.

"Hey brat, guess what you're not allowed to be in here and the rule states that whoever helps out this criminal will be executed." The blond sneered while holding out a poster. Luffy blinked and yawned.

"Well I wasn't helping him, I was only talking." Luffy said with a confused look. The mushroom head, or as Luffy liked to call him didn't appreciate the comeback and ordered the marines to throw him out of the area. Ace stepped in and held his hand up.

"Whoa there, let's not start a fight, you put a scratch on my little brother here and you'll regret it badly." Ace said with a calm tone, but the gleam in his eyes showed that he wasn't lying and the marine backed away. "My name is Ace by the way it's a pleasure to meet you." The mushroom head stepped in front and looked at Ace in the eye.

"Don't you know who I am? I'm Helmeppo, son of Captain Morgan and you're in the way." Helmeppo said proudly. Ace shrugged and said,

"Don't know who you are at all and I apologize, but I got to be leaving now." Ace said politely as he picked up Luffy and walked away. Luffy looked behind Ace's shoulder and waved a goodbye to Zoro who was a bit surprised at the gesture. Helmeppo scoffed and walked away the two marines following quickly. Ace jumped over the wall Luffy in his arms as Sabo ran towards them.

"I heard from the town that the marines were causing trouble and only send fear throughout the citizens to keep them in order." Sabo said with a dark look, this kind of thing was despicable even for marines. Ace nodded confirming that.

"Yeah I noticed back there." He said while flicking his head back towards the marine base. Luffy jumped down and stared blankly at the ground for a few minutes.

"Ace I want that man to join our crew!" Luffy declared suddenly. Coby's mouth dropped to the floor and ran in front of Luffy.

"No way! Don't you know who he is?!" Coby exclaimed while putting both hands on his head. "He's the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro and they say that he's a demon under human disguise… He even uses three swords they said!" Luffy looked back with a bored expression.

"So? I like him so I want him to join the crew!" Luffy said his mind already set. Sabo kneeled down to Luffy's height and put one hand on his straw hat.

"Luffy, do you really want him to join?" Sabo asked with a gentle look and Luffy nodded furiously, Sabo looked into his eyes and saw only determination. He smiled and stood up again.

"Well Ace looks like out brother has already made up his mind." Sabo said while walking towards the marine base. "And it looks as if we have a mess to clean up." Ace grinned and nodded while walking alongside of him. Luffy cheered and ran towards the wall jumping over again. Coby just stood there watching in horror as the three jumped over and walked towards Zoro.

"Hello there, Roronoa Zoro, my name is Sabo and over here is Ace." Sabo introduced while tipping his hat in politeness. "Right here is my younger brother, Luffy and he decided that he wanted you to join our pirate crew." Zoro just scowled and looked back.

"Well I can't because I have things to do, and I don't want to be a bad guy like a pirate." He scoffed. Sabo held a puzzled look when he mentioned "things to do", but quickly went back to his smile. Ace played around with Luffy while Sabo took care of everything and currently they were playing tag, running around the execution ground.

"Well that's unfortunate for both you and me." When Zoro gave a confused look Sabo answered his question. "The thing is, it was my little brother who asked, and we can't say 'no' to him." He said while sweat dropping, remembering the times when they had said no to his antics and they really got frantic then. "How about this, if we free you from here, then will you join our crew?" Sabo asked, trying once more. Zoro shook his head and smirked.

"I just need to stay alive for one month and he promised to free me afterwards, I'm going to do everything I can to survive and fulfill my dreams!" Zoro said while Ace and Luffy looked up finally gaining interest on the conversation.

"Hey you use swords right, that's what Coby told me!" Luffy asked while walking towards him. "So where are they?" Zoro scowled again and looked towards the marine base, Luffy followed where he was looking.

"Somewhere inside that base, that bastard son took them and they're the things I treasure most other than my life." Zoro said while his scowl deepened. Luffy touched his hat, so it was a very important treasure.

"Okay then I'll get you your swords in exchange for you joining my crew!" Luffy declared while running off into the base.

"DON'T DECIDE THAT FOR YOURSELF AND THAT'S BLACKMAIL!" Zoro yelled at the running figure, then he noticed, "Hey you're going the wrong way!" Luffy stopped abruptly and ran the opposite direction, he then changed into his small flying form and flew upwards. Zoro looked at the flying figure in surprise while Ace and Sabo ran inside the building.

-With Luffy-

Luffy flew upwards as fast as he could and once he reached the top he changed back into his normal form.

"Ah I flew too high…" He said while plummeting down on the building, but he saw a rope and held onto it tightly until he heard the sound of rock breaking. Luffy landed on the roof and saw that a statue had broke in half. "Sorry…" Luffy said while sweat dropping, everyone paused for a few seconds in shock.

"GET HIM I WANT TO KILL HIM WITH MY OWN HANDS!" A man roared as he pointed at Luffy. Luffy's eyes sparkled, the man's hand was an axe, but he didn't really need to worry about that right now where was that guy? Then Luffy spotted him and began to run towards the blond.

"But sir he's only a child…" A marine muttered. The big guy just looked at the marine with a glare and yelled again.

"I DON'T CARE IF HE'S A CHILD NOW HURRY UP BEFORE I KILL YOU TOO!" He yelled while raising his axe and the marines began to charge at the child half heartedly. Luffy nimbly dodged everyone and grabbed mushroom blondie as he ran down the stairs.

"Hey do you know where your room is so I could get Zoro's sword?" Luffy asked looking down at the choking Helmeppo. "Hey, can you please tell me?"

"You…you just passed it…" He said while foam began to form in his mouth. Luffy went back and found a door with a wreath and opened it. He found three swords and was puzzled; did this man collect swords too?

'_He even uses three swords they said!' _Luffy grinned and took all three tying them on his back and thanked Coby in his mind before crashing out of the window and jumping down.

-Meanwhile-

A whack on the head and they were out. Sabo sighed; the marines really needed more training. Earlier him and Ace had seen an orange haired girl, but ignored her as they had more important matters to do. Firstly, find their younger brother Luffy, and secondly beat whoever's in charge of this place and bring _real_ justice. Marine's way of seeing justice was pretty stupid.

"Hey I hear a commotion outside." Ace said skidding to a stop. Sabo strained his ears and he did indeed hear yelling along with gunshots. Ace punched a hole through the wall and didn't like what he saw, neither did Sabo. Their younger brother was currently being pinned down by a marine and a big guy was raising his hand axe readying to slice _their_ brother in half while the pirate hunter was free and was trying to get there fast, but was failing with marines blocking his path. Were they going to just sit there and let their brother die? Hell no like as if that was going to happen.

"LEAVE..." Ace and Sabo started as they jumped out. Ace with a flaming fist and Sabo holding his cane with both hands above him. "LUFFY...ALONE!" They both yelled simultaneously while slamming down on the man's head. It was a knockout as his eyes turned white and he fell onto the floor unconscious. Both brothers ran towards the marine and Ace picked him up while Sabo knocked the living hell out of the marine. Zoro walked towards them, swords sheathed and took off the bandana revealing short green mossy hair.

"Good timing." He said while he looked over at the other marines who looked shocked. Sabo checked Luffy over for any wounds, finding none he sighed in relief.

"Anyone else want to fight?" Ace asked while setting his fist on fire again. Zoro put a hand on one of his swords while slightly unsheathing it. Instead of running away or preparing to fight the marines just threw their caps up in the air while cheering. Ace, Zoro and Sabo had dumbfounded looks while Luffy fell asleep in Sabo's arms. Zoro finding no more tension in the air collapsed onto the floor and the older brothers panicked, Luffy wouldn't like it if they let him die, but sweat dropped as they heard his stomach rumble.

"Hungry…" Zoro said.

-Later-

The four along with Coby walked to a restaurant, which luckily had taken a liking to them after defeating "Morgan". Sabo was conversing with a little girl at how Zoro had ended up tied to the post. Apparently he had saved her from a wolf and the idiot son had made a deal with him, which he accepted. Sabo felt some respect towards the swordsman while Ace was busy engulfing himself in food. People began to crowd outside the building trying to take a good look at their "saviors".

"How can you eat more than me?" Zoro asked finishing his final plate which was the sixth.

"I haven't eaten in hours." Ace said while eating some bread.

"I haven't eaten almost in a month…" Zoro muttered under his breath as he sweat dropped. "So who's the captain out of the three of you?" He asked. Might as well get to know the crew better, since he was after all going to be traveling with them, he picked up a glass of water and drank it. Sabo and Ace pointed at the sleeping Luffy and Zoro spit his water out, coughing.

"He won a bet when we were younger." Sabo explained while digging into some of the food himself. Zoro mentally face-palmed, great his captain was a ten year old kid.

"Then where's the ship?" Zoro asked slightly irritated that he'll have to listen to a _kid_. Ace pointed outside to a dinghy that was currently being peed on by a dog. Zoro grimaced. "Is there at least one person who may have some common sense in this crew?" Sabo raised his hand while chewing on a piece of meat. Zoro ran his hand through his short hair and sighed.

"Yeah isn't it kind of ridiculous and they're already going to the grand line…" Coby said while drinking orange juice.

"Who are you?" Zoro asked.

"Oh right, I'm Coby and I'm just traveling with these three for a while, I want to become a marine." Coby introduced and Zoro was about to say something before a voice interrupted.

"We're sorry, but you're pirates correct?" A voice said as footsteps entered the restaurant. Sabo nodded as he helped put the dishes away, it was the least he could do for feeding them. "Again I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave." The people that were crowded around the restaurant yelled in outrage. How could the marines send away their heroes after what they've done? Ace gently picked up Luffy and walked out while saying nothing with Sabo, Zoro understood the gesture and also stood up and left.

"Wait is that boy with you?" The marine asked.

"Nope, we don't know him at all, but I did over hear that he wanted to become a marine, you should hear him out." Ace said and bowed towards the owner of the restaurant. "Thank you for the food." Sabo also bowed while walking outside and the citizens moved out of the way with sad expressions. Zoro waved a hand and went outside last. Coby just stood there unbelieving that they would do something like that for him, and so he took the chance. While walking back to the boat, the three men heard a loud and happy voice. Ace grinned as he jumped onto the boat and Sabo took Luffy from Ace's arms while gently letting his little brother sleep in a more comfortable position. Zoro unwrapped the rope and hopped on as they sailed towards the sunset, and to their next destination.

"Thank you for everything!" Coby yelled while saluting and the marines appeared behind him.

"Salute!" The current leader said and all the marines saluted.

"Marines saluting pirates, now that's new." Zoro smirked as he sat cross legged and put his arms behind his head. Ace waved good bye as Sabo gave a smile and this was how their first crew member was obtained.

** Huzzah um right fourth chapter is done now! And Zoro has joined the crew! What will happen in the next chapter wait and find out. =w= Um sorry…this chapter might've been a little too boring…I'll try and make it more fun and lively next time! My brain is dead…Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**To Avatoa – Okay so your first question, yes that is correct, however for your second one, I am going to have to say no and yes. The straw hat crew as well as the major characters is going to be **_**the same**_**. But Luffy is only ten. I am not going to make him OP and he has a different devil fruit as well like you had mentioned before, he's going to have to get a little help this time, but he will defeat some, once he gets stronger I assure you that he'll be able to defeat many enemies. So the story is still the same in its ways, but there are some major or minor edits. I'm pretty sure you can guess what would be changed by now if you think really hard; I'm not going to spoil anything. If you want to suggest some changes that you may want me to add, then I'll be happy to look at what you have to say! :D If you still have any more questions then I'll be here to answer. This also applies to anyone that has anything to say or ask.**

**Okay so now let's get on with chapter 5? Erm hope you enjoy? **

**Chapter 5 - A New Member Nami! Captain Buggy Appears!**

Wooden oars gently pushed against the water as a small boat with four people aboard continued their journey. Luffy was fast asleep curled up in Zoro's crossed legs and his ears twitched in his sleep. Zoro sweated at the sleeping figure, Luffy had decided that his legs were a comfortable place to rest on and apparently curled up like the cat he was and fell into a heavy slumber. Ace rowed the boat while looking around hoping to see an island come into view; they needed to stock up on food and fast. Sabo, thinking the same thing as Ace and was currently standing in the front of the boat and was trying to do his best in navigating. The two brothers thought that since the swordsman had joined their crew they might as well tell Luffy's "secret". Zoro had been surprised at first, but eventually accepted it and thought it suited him in a way to the brother's relief. So now there Luffy was just sleeping like a log with his ears twitching against his head and his tail curled around him, straw hat placed on his back. Zoro's eye twitched. He felt like one of those baby sitters and he hated that thought. But he got to admit that Luffy was indeed pretty…cute for his age, but like yeah right he would ever say that aloud. A bird flew in the sky and circled above the boat. Zoro and Ace looked up wondering what the hell was wrong with it. Before they could think if it was mental or not the bird swooped down and its size began to increase.

"Is it just me or is that bird getting bigger?" Ace asked squinting and putting on hand over his eyes to get a better look. Zoro just stared until the bird flew over them, a strong gust of wind, almost tipping over the boat, but it soon rebalanced itself.

"Guys what the heck was that?" Sabo asked looking over his shoulder. Ace just shrugged and yawned. Zoro felt a weight being lifted off his legs as the bird swooped down on them. What was that heavy feeling…he looked into the birds talons and found his answer.

"CRAP THE BIRD GOT LUFFY!" Zoro yelled while taking the oars from Ace and rowed as fast as he could.

"WHAT?!" Ace and Sabo yelled while staring at the bird and saw their little brother's figure tightly held by its talons. "ZORO YOU IDIOT!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT YOU IDIOT BROTHERS NOW HURRY AND WATCH THE BIRD BEFORE IT GETS AWAY!" Zoro yelled back rowing faster. Ace went into a state of panic.

"UH, OH RIGHT I'LL DESTROY IT WITH MY FIRE!" Ace yelled while putting his arm aflame and Sabo whacked him on the head.

"LUFFY WILL FALL IN THE WATER AND HE CAN'T SWIM DUMBASS, PLUS YOU MIGHT BURN HIM!" Sabo yelled while making sure Luffy was still in sight.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?!" Ace yelled back clashing his forehead with Sabo's. "THE BIRD'S GOING TO GET AWAY WITH OUR LITTLE BROTHER!" Both went into a state of panic and tried to process a plan quickly while the bird was flying faster away.

"JUST KEEP A DAMN WATCH ON THE FREAKING BIRD!" Zoro yelled. Sabo and Ace snapped out of their thinking as they tried to keep a close watch on the bird. Key word, tried. The bird had already disappeared after a few minutes. Ace's face wore a scowl as he cursed and muttered something about 'frying the bird and killing it slowly'. Sabo's face also darkened as they lost their brother.

"Crap, I lost sight of Luffy…" Ace mumbled as he looked for the huge bird. Sabo sighed and sat down.

"Hey Zoro can you just row towards the direction the bird went? It's our only chance for now." Sabo asked while glaring at the direction the bird flew off to. Zoro nodded and rowed fast again while Ace and Sabo was on the lookout for their dear little brother.

-Meanwhile-

An orange haired girl panted while running away from three men. In her hand was a map which she clutched tightly. She cursed silently, the pirates were so persistent! How long had they been chasing her for by now?! She heard an explosion from somewhere and saw that a cannon ball hit some sort of bird, but apparently missed and in its stead something else fell. But she had other things to worry about right now! To her luck the "thing" fell on top of the three men and created some sort of smoke screen as dust flew everywhere and she made her escape thanking the bird for dropping whatever it had. She stopped when she heard a small whine and looked back finding a small boy. Cursing again she picked up the small boy and ran with him, she didn't want any innocent lives dying now. She ran as far as she could and ran inside a house while setting the boy on a bed and taking a break. Luffy stirred as he opened his eyes and yawned.

"So you're awake now?" A voice asked and Luffy turned around to find an orange haired girl. Luffy nodded and jumped down.

"Hey miss what's your name?" Luffy asked tilting his head in curiosity.

"My name is Nami, what's yours?" Nami asked while leaning down.

"My name is Luffy!" He cried out happily. Nami smiled and patted the boys straw hat atop his head.

"So how did you fall from the sky?" Nami asked curious as to why a small child would just suddenly fall and save her, maybe it was a gift from the heavens, no. Luffy frowned and couldn't remember.

"The only thing I remember was sleeping on Zoro and then I don't remember anything after that up until now." Luffy replied. "Hey do you know where I am Nami?"

"Well currently you're in a town that's under control by pirates." Nami said while crouching down again. Luffy's eyes sparkled, pirates!

"Awesome! Are you a pirate as well then?!" Luffy asked getting excited. Nami's eyes flared up in hatred, but they also had a hint of sadness.

"No and I will never be one." Nami said. Luffy wondered what had happened, but put that aside as his stomach growled. Nami laughed and brought him downstairs while serving the boy some food.

"Do you have any parents?" Nami asked while sitting next to the eating boy. Luffy shook his head for his mouth was full of bread at the moment, he swallowed and answered.

"I only have two older brothers, but they take care of me!" Luffy began to eat some sandwiches. "Oh and there's also Zoro, he's a part of the crew." Nami raised a brow, a crew? Her thoughts were interrupted as an explosion shook the ground and Luffy stopped eating while Nami almost fell to the floor. Luffy's eyes shined as he knew there was an adventure wherever that explosion was and so he jumped outside and started to run where he heard the explosion was loudest.

"Luffy are you okay I think we need to get ou-"Nami stopped mid sentence as she found that Luffy was gone and she sighed, hopefully the boy would be fine, but she had to get out of this place before the pirates find her. She paused and thought and then her face darkened as she chased after the boy.

-Meanwhile-

"Crap I don't see him anywhere." Ace said while looking around, the only thing he saw was the vast blue sea. "Hey Zoro can you row faster?"

"I'm doing the best I can now shut up!" Zoro barked with a scowl. Ace just huffed and continued his lookout. Sabo squinted as he saw a shape off in the distance .He tried to look harder and managed to make it out as an, island?

"Hey guys I found an island!" Sabo said while pointing and his hopes rising, maybe his younger brother was there. Ace hopped over and looked at where Sabo was pointing and his face lightened up. Zoro rowed faster as he heard the news, hoping his "captain" would be okay. All three heard an explosion in the distance and that made their hopes rise even more. Where trouble was, Luffy was. Sabo was slightly worried however because Luffy could get hurt and Ace just wanted to get there as soon as possible so he could make sure Luffy was okay.

-With Luffy-

"Wow that's some damage!" Luffy said while being awed at the massive damage. "Now where did it come from again?" He heard footsteps behind him and turned around while finding a guy that looked like a clown.

"Hey come over here I found a brat!" The man yelled and two of his companions came over while taking a look at Luffy.

"Well what are you doing here kid shouldn't you go run home to your mommy?" A man snickered while walking over and kneeling down. "This is a pretty dirty hat you shouldn't w-"Before he could finish Luffy had already punched him with an uppercut. No one mocks his hat.

"Why you-!" The other two drew swords and Luffy quickly knocked them out, he was glad that both his brothers had taught him how to truly fight and use his size as an advantage. He heard yelling in the distance and transformed into his smaller version as he flew in the air to find where the source was and soon found it. On top of a building was a tent of some sort and surrounding it were even more clowns. Was this a circus? Luffy's fluffy tail perked up at that, he never saw one before. He landed and transformed back with no one looking and then peeked from behind a box. Apparently someone inside the tent was yelling at another person who was sweating considerably. Luffy was about to wonder why until he felt himself being picked up by the collar of his shirt.

"Captain Buggy we found a small child behind the crates." The man who picked him up said. A man walked outside and Luffy took a good look until staring at the big round nose. He kind of looked like Rudolph or something.

"Oh? Good job Cabaji, bring him here." Buggy said while waving a hand over. Cabaji did as was told and dropped Luffy right in front of him.

"Hey does your nose glow and do you help Santa?" Luffy asked while trying to touch the red nose. The people surrounding him dropped their jaws to the floor and backed away as a dark aura surrounded Buggy. He grabbed Luffy's head and gave him a glare.

"What did you say about my nose?" He asked. Luffy just blinked and touched it with a finger.

"Does it glow?" He asked again while poking it continuously. Buggy grew a tick mark on his forehead as he gripped the straw hat harder. Buggy grabbed Luffy by the front of his shirt while bringing him up so they would look eye to eye.

"Brat, do you want me to kill you?" He said while grabbing a knife. "Don't you know who I am, I'm captain Buggy, one of the most feared pirates in the East Blue. Luffy just stared not affected by the knife that was being currently pointed at him as he kept poking the nose until Luffy got bored and stabbed Buggy's eyes with two fingers. He screamed in pain as he held his eyes and let go of Luffy while rolling on the floor. Luffy held his stomach with one hand and pointed at the scene with the other and laughed.

"Damn you, I have no hesitation in killing children like you and I will kill you right now for mocking me." Buggy said while dragging Luffy over towards the edge of the roof and smirked. "Well are you going to beg for forgiveness now?" Luffy looked down and saw a familiar hat; he grinned inwardly and gave a signal. Luffy whimpered and immediately flames shot up in the air as Ace punched Buggy in the face while holding Luffy protectively. Ace gave a death glare to everyone around him and Sabo jumped up with Zoro.

"Luffy there you are!" Sabo said while taking Luffy out of Ace's grasp and holding him in the air while Luffy giggled in delight. "Where were you the whole time?"

"Sabo, Ace, Zoro! I saw your hat Sabo and then I just made a noise to see what Ace would do!" Luffy said while grinning. Sabo gently set him down on the floor and Luffy ran over to hug the three one by one. Ace huffed while stiffening as he saw Buggy appear again.

"Guys look he's Rudolph!" Luffy cried while pointing to his nose. "He guides Santa in the night of Christmas!" Ace and Sabo wore a look of surprise and then started laughing. Zoro even chuckled a bit at that.

"Pft, Luffy, that's not Rudolph, but put some antlers on his head and he may look more like him." Sabo said trying not to laugh, but Ace just howled in laughter while patting Luffy on the head. Buggy got more and more pissed off by the minute and he grabbed daggers while putting them between his gloved fingers and held it out. The hand detached itself from his arm while aiming for Luffy and Sabo blocked it.

"Oh, so he has a devil fruit ability!" Sabo said while deflecting the attack. Buggy reattached his hand and smirked.

"That's right I ate the Chop chop fruit." Buggy said while separating his body. Luffy's dream of Rudolph was crushed and he looked with a bored look.

"Aw you're not Rudolph after all…" Luffy said disappointment clearly shown in his voice and look.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO ACTUALLY GUIDE YOUR "SANTA"?!" Buggy yelled, pissed off.

"Yeah."

"HELL NO!"

"Luffy, let's get out of here, we don't really need to deal with him right now." Sabo whispered crouching down. Luffy gave a sad look, it was getting fun, but if Sabo said so, then it wouldn't hurt to follow his brother's instructions for a bit. He nodded and Sabo gestured to the others while he grabbed a smoke bomb and hurtled it to the ground. All four ran away as quick as they came. When running away, they came face to face with Nami. Ace narrowed his eyes while Zoro got into a stance just incase.

"Nami!" Luffy said while running towards the orange haired girl and hugged her leg. Zoro relaxed and Ace had a look of surprise, Sabo did as well.

"Luffy do you know her?" Sabo asked. Luffy nodded and grinned while letting go of Nami's leg.

"Luffy I've been looking all over for you!" Nami exclaimed. "I couldn't just leave you alone in this pirate controlled town, are those your brothers and…Zoro?" Nami asked while gesturing at the others and Luffy nodded still grinning.

"Unfortunately no time for introductions now, miss Nami, but we got to go, the pirates may still be after us and we don't really want to fight a meaningless battle." Sabo said while smiling and then began to run, the rest followed along with Nami tagging along. Soon, they all hid inside an abandoned house and deeming they were okay at the moment, all five sat down at a table in the living room. Everyone introduced themselves one by one and Luffy started a conversation.

"Nami, is this your house?" Luffy asked bouncing up and down on his chair, he was bored. Nami shook her head while leaning forward, chin rested on one hand.

"So are you guys traveling the sea?" Nami asked while looking around at everyone. Sabo answered.

"Well, yes we are traveling and we all have goals that we want to accomplish, which then lead us to form a pirate crew." He said while Nami widened her eyes as her look changed into one of anger and disgust.

"I _hate_ pirates." Nami said darkly. "But what I wonder is why this ten year old child is on a pirate crew?" She pointed at Luffy with a disbelieving look.

"Well the thing is, he's the captain and…" Ace stared grimacing that he lost pitifully, then Nami slammed her hands on the table while standing up.

"Don't you know how dangerous it is for a child to go out to sea?!" She said, her volume rising. "And why the hell would you make this innocent CHILD as your captain who should know nothing about the threats that lie out there?!" Ace just calmly gestured for her to sit down, which she did after a while reluctantly.

"Well the thing is, if we left him all alone, with…" Ace looked thoughtful and then continued. "…many 'dangerous' things on the island we were raised in, and add it with his tearful face, I just couldn't leave him there you know? Plus me, Sabo and Zoro are here to watch and protect him when the time comes." Zoro nodded in agreement, closing his eyes at the memories that weren't too long ago. Nami's temper died down a bit as she reconsidered what he had said. They did look strong, but still they were pirates, she hated, despised and many other nasty words that she could think of. She sighed and stood up preparing to leave.

"Well then I should go to get my next target." She said while turning around until Nami felt a small hand on her pants. When she looked down her eyes softened. Luffy was on his tippy toes, one small hand grabbing her pants as his eyes held a sad gleam to them and his face held a frown.

"Hey can you tell me what you do, like skills or anything like that?" Sabo asked. Nami held Luffy in her arms as she sat down once more, deciding to stay a _little_ bit more for Luffy's sake.

"Well, I can navigate and steal." She said plainly. "I only steal from pirates though; normal people have nothing to do with this." Nami added looking at Sabo's slightly opened mouth which he shook his head and continued what he was about to say.

"Can you join the crew, we really need a navigator at the moment, I probably should've studied more before I left the island, and perhaps if you can't come along you could teach me a few things?" Sabo asked looking a little hopeful. Nami thought and she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I can't because one, I hate pirates, and two I have other important things to do." Luffy looked up from Nami's arms as his eyes gave a look of confusion, which Nami answered for him. "I only have to get a hundred million Beli to buy a certain village." Her eyes held a pained gleam which didn't go unnoticed by Ace and Sabo. Zoro was already fast asleep. Both knew that this girl probably had a bad past and didn't go further. Both had a bad past in their own ways, ones that they will never tell to their younger brother or anyone at that. They were afraid. Afraid of many outcomes. Luffy hopped out of Nami's arms and walked outside.

"I'm going to take a walk for a while!" He cried while running outside. Ace and Sabo chased after him while Nami did the favor of waking up Zoro. Zoro followed the others while Nami stood there holding her shoulder with one hand. Her eyes narrowed in sadness as she walked out.

-Meanwhile-

Both stared at each other with blank eyes. Luffy kept staring at the strange white furred dog. The dog yawned and just sat there staring back right at Luffy. The boy stood up and looked at the store, it was a pet store of some sort. He was curious so he tried to take a step inside. The dog immediately jumped up while baring his small sharp teeth and growled. Luffy stopped and looked into the dog's eyes. It wanted to protect this store, and was probably going to risk his life for it. Luffy stopped and set his foot down as he patted the dog's head gently.

"Sorry for trying to enter your building." Luffy said as he plopped down next to him."What's your name?"

"My name is ChouChou don't go in there again though, I was told to guard this store by my master, my best friend." The dog barked. Luffy remembered that he could understand animals; he had forgotten that technique of his. Being half cat wasn't so bad after all!

"Who was your friend?" Luffy asked. The dog had a look of surprise, but understood as Luffy removed his hat, so this person was a half animal. Luffy put the hat back on as the dog began his story.

"I was adopted when I was just a small puppy, and I knew from the start he was a kind person." ChouChou barked. "We had a great time together, I enjoyed every minute, but he was getting old and I knew…he left one day and I watched him go." Luffy listened to the story, not missing one word.

"I…watched him leave, watched his last steps, his last day spent with me…I knew that he had gone away from this world, I didn't want to believe it…" ChouChou whined. "The people thought I didn't know and didn't want to tell me, but I knew the truth and this shop is all the memories of him and me together, I will never forget the days we spent and now I guard this shop with my life, this shop is my treasure."

"You sure are a brave dog…" Luffy said. "I too have a treasure, it was given to me by a great man, hey you know what I think it would be fun to help you, to protect this treasure of yours."

"I don't need help, but I appreciate the thought." Chou Chou said while looking at Luffy with bright eyes. "I can tell, you are also a kind human, a pure hearted one." Luffy chuckled.

"Shishishi! Well my brothers and crewmate might be coming soon.

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro said while waving a hand, in next to him was Sabo and Ace. Sabo flicked Luffy on the forehead while scolding him.

"Don't run away like that again you hear me?" Sabo said while sighing, their adventure was already getting rowdy by the minute. Luffy nodded vigorously and sat down next to ChouChou.

"This is Chou Chou, he's my new friend and I'm helping him guard this store." Luffy said while petting the dog that had his tongue sticking out. All three weren't that surprised at Luffy communicating with an animal. Ace and Sabo, being brothers had already known about this ability. Zoro, knew he was half cat, so why not?

"Hey, what are you guys doing here around ChouChou?" A voice questioned and they all turned around finding an old man, wearing leather armor while holding a bowl and some dog food. He turned to the dog and gave him the food while looking back at the group.

"Hey old man how do you know ChouChou?" Luffy asked. The man huffed and answered.

"Well, I've known him since a long time ago and I've been giving him his meals every day." He said and Zoro raised a brow.

"So you're his owner?" He asked while yawning. The man shook his head.

"His owner died." All except for Luffy gave a small look of curiosity and surprise.

"Does the dog know of this?" Sabo asked while stroking the dogs back gently. "Or I mean, ChouChou."

"Of course he does, ChouChou is the brightest dog I've seen by far." The old man scoffed. "Excuse me I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Boodle I'm the village's leader, or the chief!"

"It's nice to meet you." Sabo said. ChouChou pushed the bowl back to the mayor and sat back at the spot in front of the shop.

"This is his treasure!" Luffy cried out throwing his arms in the air while smiling. Boodle smiled while looking the store.

"That is correct and it's also the reason why he guards it till this day. And I think there's another reason, because it's all that's left of his beloved master." He said while frowning. "Then those cursed pirates arrived and began to destroy our home, this town." Zoro sat down cross legged and leaned against the railing of the tore while falling asleep. "Those wounds that he received, it was from guarding his store from the pirates." Luffy looked over the dog's fur and sure enough there were some bruises as well as dried blood. The mayor sat down next to the dog.

"Oh, so he's a guard dog, it must've been hard to know his owner had died." Sabo said. ChouChou barked.

"Yes, it was difficult, but I knew that my owner was going to go." Luffy translated. "I'm just glad that I had spent many days, years with him." The mayor looked surprised.

"Boy you can understand him?" He asked while looking over to Luffy who nodded in response. A loud roar came from the distance and the mayor abruptly stood up.

"What was that ridiculously loud roar?" Ace complained while standing up.

"I-It must be Mohji, the lion tamer!" The mayor said with a surprised look. "RUN!" And he ran away at full speed. Ace and Sabo sweat dropped at his antics while Zoro woke up.

"Huh, is it morning?" He asked standing up.

"No…It's obviously night time." Ace said sarcastically and Zoro scowled. "But we do have some business to attend to." The heard footsteps in the distance and an over sized lion appeared with someone riding on its back. The lion stopped in front of the group and snarled.

"Well what have we here, I'm Mohji Buggy's first mate, the call me the lion tamer." Mohji introduced with a glare.

"We know." All four said in unison and Mohji almost fell off.

"Captain Buggy is pretty worked up because of you four, you guys stirred up a real hornets' nest."

"Hey what's with the weird costume?" Luffy asked while pointing at the ears on his head and the strange clothing.

"Costume?! How rude this is my hair!" He yelled while pointing, and Luffy stuck his tongue out.

"That makes it weirder then."

"SHUT UP!"

"Luffy you really don't have a say in this after all you are pretty similar…in a small way…" Zoro said. Luffy put a fist on his palm and made an "Oh" look. The mayor watched in the distance and wondered if they were trying to provoke him.

"There's not an animal alive that I can't control, even that mutt over there will listen to what I say." Mohji said while pointing at ChouChou and he climbed off the lion while putting a hand in front of the dog. "Shake." He commanded and ChouChou bit his hand, hard.

"Ha ha dog got ya!" Luffy grinned.

"Hmph, ungrateful mutt." Mohji said while climbing back onto his lion, tending to his stinging hand. His lion sniffed and looked at the pet store; Mohji noticed this act and sighed.

"Fine, but after you finish off these pests first." He said while glaring at the group. Sabo pulled his hat's brim down shadowing his eyes while he grabbed his pole readying for a fight. Ace and Zoro got into a fighting position while Luffy just sat there.

"Richie, go get them!" Mohji yelled while his lion sprang forth quickly and dashed forward to the group. Luffy stood up and ran towards the lion. He stopped it with two hands as Luffy began to speak with the lion.

"Why do you fight?" He asked and Mohji gave a look of surprise.

"Because-"But he was cut off as Richie gave a low growl.

"Because I fight for my master." Luffy paused to think for a moment and Richie took the chance to swat the kid into a building.

"Luffy! Why you…!" Ace said while stepping up, but was held back by Sabo who grinned.

"Let me handle this Ace!" Ace paused and then stepped back while sitting down. Sabo's grin turned wider as he twirled his staff and whacked Mohji off of his lion. Sabo then stepped back lightly on the ground and ran towards the lion, giving a kick in his gut and back flipped back to where Ace was. Richie snarled as he launched forward and this time Ace joined in the fun, but he had fallen asleep, fist raised and the lion kicked Ace into a building. Sabo mentally cursed at the bad timing. He swung down the pole hard on the lion and ran towards Luffy first, deeming that the lion was no threat.

"Zoro can you go get Ace?" Sabo asked while running and Zoro gave a curt nod before running off in the opposite direction. "That's not where he was hit the other way!" Zoro paused and ran in the right direction. ChouChou was thankful for the help and then sat down while watching the two closely. Mohji and his lion both got up slowly.

"Damn that brat hits hard." Mohji said while rubbing the side of his head. Richie stood up while walking to the pet food shop. "Oh right you're hungry, just get the food and hurry along." ChouChou growled and barked revealing rows of small sharp teeth. Richie growled and tried to scare off the dog, but he didn't move an inch.

"You mutt, don't tell me your guarding this crummy shop?" Mohji said while Richie walked forward. "Don't tell me he really thinks he could stop us from entering." Richie whacked the dog out of his way and proceeded to go inside, but as he took one paw step on the porch, ChouChou got back up and bit the lion's leg as arm as he could.

_"Look, ChouChou! The store's all finished! You and me will make it prosper together!" _

_ "Woof!" _

Richie gave a glare while moving his arm and slamming the dog into the shop. ChouChou fell onto the wooden floor, his side bleeding as a nasty cut appeared.

_"Business is awful slow…"_

_ "Woof!" _

_ "Having a rough time eh? Fine then __**I'll **__buy some pet food to eat." The mayor said._

_ "Hahaha! You look like a dog, but I didn't know you ate like one too!" ChouChou laughed along._

_ "You idiot! I'm trying to help you!" _

ChouChou stood up and barked, he was bleeding and his vision slightly blurred, but this was his treasure, his memories and they were all going to go away, no he wouldn't let that happen. ChouChou sprang forth and the lion growled in irritation.

"You don't know when to quit do you? Is your favorite food in there doggy?"

_"We sold a hundred boxes today!"_

_ "Woof!" _

_ "ChouChou! How many times have I told you not to eat the merchandise!" _

_ "Heh heh! That's the smartest and bravest dog in town miss!" _

_ "Alright ChouChou, you're in charge of the shop while I'm in the hospital." _

ChouChou began to cry as his memories were being destroyed, the only thing he had was being destroyed, and he was so helpless, he couldn't do a thing and worst of all, he had failed his closest friend. Richie ate all the food and took the last box as Mohji left the shop to burn. Luffy quickly ran back with Sabo and he stopped when he saw what happened.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I've failed you…All the memories…Are gone…." ChouChou howled in pain and sadness as he cried. "I'm sorry….I'm sorry…!" ChouChou repeated those words over and over as he watched the building burn down to the ground.

_"This shop is my treasure." _

_ "because it's all that's left of his beloved master." _

Luffy watched the tears fall and then ran over to the dog. Luffy embraced the dog gently, and ChouChou just whined and kept crying as the building burned down.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"ChouChou…I'll go get him back for you, wait for me here, don't cry, be strong." Luffy said trying to soothe the dog. He stood up and ran off, Sabo let him and watched the building burn down sadly. He walked over and sat next to the dog.

"ChouChou…I'm sorry that I left…Now your memories burned down." Sabo apologized and ChouChou looked over and licked his hand. Sabo smiled.

-With Luffy-

"You…how are you still alive, you should be dead!" Mohji exclaimed as a small Luffy stepped in front of him. Luffy said nothing as Mohji commanded Richie to kill him and Luffy slowly transformed.

"It'll take more than the lion…" Luffy began as he transformed. "To kill _me_!" he finished and Luffy fully transformed while the lion collided with his long tail. Luffy now towered over the lion as he gave a glare. The lion wasn't so tough now as he shivered under the glare and Luffy raised a clawed paw and slammed it down on the lion knocking him out one shot.

"What are you monster?!" Mohji exclaimed while backing away. "Okay, okay I'll give you all the gold you want! Just let me apologize and go! Alive!" Luffy's eyes were shadowed as he gritted his jaw.

"It's too late for apologies now…It won't bring ChouChou's treasure back!" Luffy roared. His eyes began to glow as a small ball of light began to form in his mouth. The ball grew bigger and bigger as the color changed from white to blue and then blue fire came out from Luffy's mouth as they began affect Mohji and he screamed in pain as he dropped on the floor unconscious. Luffy changed back and puffed out his chest in pride not knowing what he really did until he noticed the box of dog food. Luffy grabbed it and dashed back.

-On a Rooftop-

"Mohji was defeated?!" Buggy yelled, outraged that his first mate was down so easily. "TEATIME'S OVER KIDDIES, READY MY SPECIAL BUGGY BALLS, WE'RE GOING TO BLOW THIS TOWN TO THE GROUND!"

"Ahoy! First mate Mohji has returned!" A man called out. Mohji huffed with and fell on his knees, Richie being unconscious. Buggy noticed he was badly burnt.

"The brat, I underestimated him." Mohji said trying to stay conscious. Buggy snapped.

"YOU GOT BEATEN BY A TEN YEAR OLD?!" He yelled.

"He ate a…he transformed…" Mohji tried to say more, but collapsed.

"What'd he say?"

"He was trying to tell us something…"

"He could barely stand! It must've been something important!"

"No matter…" Buggy said, "DARN YOU, MOHJI BEING BEATEN BY A KID MAY GET OUR REPUTATION RUINED! LOAD THE BUGGY BALLS NOW YOU SWABS!"

"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!"

-Back with Nami-

Nami strolled around town while clutching a map tightly in her hands. She was trying to find out where that Buggy kept his stash of treasure. She sighed and then walked down a path trying to guess which way she should go until a lonely and pained howl was heard off in the distance. She turned around to find smoke rising in the air and found a man hiding behind a building.

"Hey who are you?" Nami asked while putting a hand on his shoulder. "And what happened?" He turned around with a frown.

"Those pirates destroyed ChouChou's treasure and now he's mourning over the loss of the memories that it held and the memorial of his master." He said while grimacing. Nami's eyes narrowed, pirates were despicable, they always loved to destroy what other people treasured most.

"Are you a villager?" Nami asked and he nodded.

"My name is Boodle, I'm the chief of this village." Boodle replied looking back with an angry look. Nami walked over only to find three men standing next to the dog and watched the building burn into ashes. She recognized them immediately. Nami stormed over and grabbed Sabo by the front of his shirt.

"See, look how despicable pirates are!" She yelled her eyes burning with hate. "All they just do is take away what's most precious and laugh!" Sabo just let her yell, he knew that she needed it. Ace and Zoro just watched doing nothing to stop her. Then the mayor ran over and held her back.

"Young girl please stop it they did nothing wrong!" Boodle insisted.

"All pirates are they same! They don't care!" Nami retaliated. "They're just killing machines who only work for their own benefits!" Sabo lowered his top hat as he grimaced, this girl must've had a hard childhood as well. Light footsteps were heard in the distance as Luffy ran over, dirt and some scratches over his arms and legs. In his hands was a small box of dog food.

"ChouChou! I managed to get something for ya!" Luffy cried while presenting the box to the dog. ChouChou sniffed and grabbed the box. Sabo pat the dog's head gently.

"Isn't that great, at least something was left." He said while smiling. ChouChou blinked and then walked away until after a certain amount of distance, and he howled.

"Thank you and I wish your group luck, Luffy, Sabo." He said and then began to walk again, box in mouth. Luffy only smiled and waved his goodbyes while Sabo raised a hand. Zoro and Ace did the same gesture as Sabo. Nami stared and then smiled herself.

"Sorry…I yelled at you like that." She apologized. Ace walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, we know that you probably had a hard time in the past, not that we want to know since it's personal." Ace said while grinning. Nami smiled even more and nodded. The mayor trembled in anger and his arms shot up in the air.

"I CAN'T STAND IT NO MORE! I CAN'T STAND THEIR CRUEL BULLYING NOT AFTER THE WAY CHOUCHOU AND THIS KID FOUGHT SO BRAVELY. WHAT KIND OF MAYOR STANDS BACK AND WATCHES HIS TOWN BE DESTROYED!" Boodle yelled in frustration. Nami decided it was her turn to try and calm him.

"Mayor please calm down!" She said.

"SOMETIMES A MAN'S GOTTA DO WHAT A MAN'S GOTTA DO! RIGHT BOYS?!" The mayor yelled while turning to the group.

"That's right, you said it!" Luffy cried out throwing his fists in the air and the others nodded.

"Don't encourage him!" Nami yelled. Luffy tilted his head as the mayor continued.

"Forty years of hard work! This place was a wilderness and at first it was just a few homes, but slowly our numbers grew." Boodle said while smiling fondly. "We worked hard, cleared the land, and over time people came and opened shops…AND LOOK AT US NOW! WE'RE A THRIVING PORT, WE OLD TIMERS BUILT THIS TOWN FROM NOTHING, IT'S **OUR** LIFE'S WORK! THIS TOWN AND ITS PEOPLE ARE MY TREASURE!" The mayor raised a spear. "I'D BE A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MAYOR IS I DIDN'T TRY TO PROTECT THE TOWN, I'M GOING TO FIGHT!" As he said those words a row of houses right next to them was destroyed.

"That's it…I can't take any more I won't lose a second town to those sea rats!" The mayor said his anger welling up even more. "THESE PIRATES SHOW UP AND THINK THEY CAN DO AS THEY PLEASE, BUT I WON'T LET THEM WRECK FORTY YEARS OF HARD WORK, I WON'T TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN, I'M THE MAYOR!"

"Mayor please wait!" Nami said while holding onto his shirt. "Getting yourself killed won't accomplish anything, you're being reckless!"

"I KNOW I'M BEING RECKLESS!" He cried out with tears streaming down his face. Nami had a shocked look on her face while the others saw his determination and let him go.

"They mayor…was crying…" Nami whispered. Luffy grinned.

"It didn't look that way to me!"

"Things are finally gonna get fun!" Zoro said while smirking and putting on hand on his swords. Ace laughed and nodded his head agreeing.

"This is no laughing matter!" Nami scolded.

"Don't worry Miss Nami, we won't let him get killed." Sabo assured while smiling himself. "We're headed for the grand line anyways." She remembered the map that she had stolen earlier. "Hey why don't you join up with us for a while, you said that you're a thief right? So you're aiming for their treasure." Sabo said while holding out a hand.

"I won't become a pirate! But let's just said we'll 'join forces' since I decided I may be able to get more treasure if I stay with you." Nami said while shaking his hand and Luffy cheered.

"Okay, now let's go!" He yelled while walking off.

"Let's do it, it's been a while since we all ran wild, but I highly doubt we'll even need to use our full strength." Ace said while walking, hands in pockets. Sabo walked next to Ace, metal pole swung over his shoulder and Zoro smirked while walking behind.

"You guys are all crazy." Nami said bringing on hand up to her forehead while following along.

-Meanwhile-

"Buggy the Clown, I'M HERE TO CHALLENGE YOU!" the mayor yelled. "I'm Boodle and I've been mayor of this town since you were pillaging nurseries!"

"Do you want a death wish?" Buggy said while giving a glare. Cabaji stood and then pulled a sword out of his mouth.

"Cap'n Buggy…" Cabaji began.

"What is it, Cabaji?" Buggy asked.

"Leave him to me sir, it's been a while, I don't want my skills to get rusty now." He said while spinning in the air and landed on the railing of the roof with a unicycle. The crew cheered on for their second mate.

"Stop fool! He challenged _me_, you stay out of this." Buggy replied. The crew stopped cheering and began to "boo" since they won't see Cabaji in action. "Why are you challenging me, a little old to be making a name for yourself don't you think?"

"THIS IS MY TOWN MY TREASURE, AND IM GOING TO PROECT IT!" Boodle yelled. Buggy had a surprised look before roaring into laughter, his crew joining along.

"You old fool! The only treasure here is for termites, gold and jewels now are real treasures!" Buggy said. "Treasure sparkles and makes its possessor a king! THIS DUMP OF YOUR'S DOESN'T SPARKLE, IT ROTS! ENOUGH OF YOUR NONSENSE!" Boodle clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as fury began to take over.

"SHUT IT YOU SEA SQUIRT, I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS FOR THIS TOWN NOW GET DOWN HERE!" He snapped. Buggy looked down.

"Get down there? Why should I?!" He said while using his devil fruit ability and launched his hand at Boodle. The hand grabbed his neck and pulled him up into the air.

"Y-you monster…" Boodle gasped as he tried to breathe in air. "T-this is…N-nothing!" Boodle then began to punch his hand and Buggy's eye twitched. The mayor began to cough up blood as the pain overtook him.

"What's that, you trying to beat me by punching yourself in the throat?!" Buggy yelled before tightening his grip and Boodle was beginning to lose consciousness. "You dare order_ me_ to get down there?! Do you know who you're talking to?"

_'I can't die! Not before I get my revenge!'_Boodle thought as his vision grew blurry.

"Soon, I shall rule the grand line and all the glittering treasure will be mine! All the treasure in the world! I'll have it all, nobody else!" Buggy declared while laughing."This miserable stinking town is your treasure eh? Then be glad you won't live to see what I do to it!"

"W-Why curse you…Come down and fight like a man!" Boodle gasped. "Come on!"

"You're not worth the effort." Buggy said darkly while smirking.

"I WON'T LET YOU WRECK THIS TOWN, COME DOWN AND FIGHT ME!" Boodle managed to yell. Buggy felt a strong grip on his hand as his arm twitched and Buggy looked down.

"The little brat with the straw hat!" Buggy said annoyed.

"I'm back Buggy, to kick your ass!" Luffy said while smiing. He kept a tight grip on his hand before letting go and Boodle fell to the ground on his knees as he gasped for air. Ace and Sabo walked forward behind their younger little brother and looked up. Zoro and Nami came from behind.

"Hmph, you may have escaped last time but you won't escape me this time!" Buggy yelled from the roof.

"Have fun fighting boys, I'm just here for the treasure!" Nami said.

"Yeah, yeah whatever…" Zoro replied.

"You youngsters, you're outsiders…" Boodle coughed, "…This is _my_ battle, it's _my_ town and _I'll_ protect it so don't interfere!" Ace looked at Sabo and he nodded. Both put their hands behind the mayor's head and slammed him into the wall knocking him out.

"Wha-?!" Nami gasped. Buggy looked surprised and Zoro stared while Luffy laughed.

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?! WHY'D YOU DO THAT TO THE MAYOR?!" Nami yelled while running over and hitting them both on the head.

"Because he was in the way!" Ace whined standing up from the hit.

"Good thinking, he would have gotten himself killed…He'll be safer unconscious." Zoro acknowledged.

"YOU'RE TOO RECKLESS!" Nami yelled, annoyed.

"Hey you! BIG NOSE OVER THERE!" Luffy yelled. The whole Buggy crew gave a look of shock. Nami and Zoro started to panic while Ace and Sabo just chuckled.

"KILL HIM! GIVE THAT BRAT THE BUGGY BALL!" Buggy yelled. "FIRE!" Luffy transformed into the small version and whacked the cannon ball back with his tail.

"What the heck?! How did he deflect it?!" Buggy yelled while looking at the incoming cannon ball.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Nami yelled.

"Made me worry for nothing…" the other three muttered. Smoke filled the area and once it cleared the broken house was littered with wood and unconscious bodies.

"I didn't know a kid could even do that…" Nami said while looking at Luffy. "What kind of human being are you?"

"I just whacked it back!" Luffy said while giggling.

"But how did you do it?!" Nami said while face palming. Ace, Sabo, and Zoro looked back to the rubble only to notice that two people were still standing.

"You've got some nerve…" Buggy said as he dropped the two people that he used as shields. Cabaji dropped the lion that he was also using a shield from the explosion. "I'm so mad I can't even speak…"

"This is the worse disgrace we've ever suffered since you've formed your crew…" Cabaji said.

"He's using his men as shields…" Nami said in surprise and in anger. Sabo also looked annoyed, these kind of things were despicable.

"Ugh…where am I? What the hell happened?" Mohji said as he stood up from the rubble.

"Mohji, you're still alive?" Cabaji said while dropping the lion.

"Cabaji! What're you doing to Richie?!" Mohji asked with a tick mark on his forehead.

"The kitty? I was just using him as a shield, I didn't want to soil my raiment." He replied while Richie hid behind Mohji.

"Captain Buggy! The brat in the straw hat has a devil fruit ability like you! Watch out for him!" Mohji warned.

"Devil fruit?!" Nami asked. Luffy nodded and grinned.

"The devil fruit…no wonder why he had hit the Buggy Ball back…" Buggy said his face darkening. "But Mohji…if you knew this then, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" He yelled while punching Mohji towards the group.

"I tried to!" Mohji said until Ace went in front and kicked him into a building.

"Mess with the younger brother, and then you'll have to speak with the older ones." Ace said while smirking. Cabaji sprang forth on his unicycle with a sword in hand.

"He's just a kid captain Buggy, I'll cut him into pieces!" Cabaji swings down his sword on Luffy and Zoro steps in front with a death glare.

"You will not touch a single hair on my captain, if it's a sword duel, you got one right here." He said while his eyes narrowed.

"Roronoa Zoro, as one swordsman to another, it will be an honor to cut you down." Cabaji said, their gaze never left one another.

"Try it." Zoro mocked. Cabaji smirked until he breathed fire onto Zoro's face who quickly jumped back. Cabaji then rushed forward and stabbed Zoro on the side. Zoro gritted his teeth as he knocked Cabaji away from him. Cabaji used a smoke bomb and then pounced on Zoro who blocked the attack with two swords. Cabaji then lifted a leg and kicked the swordsman on his injury. Zoro yelled in pain as he slumped on the floor.

"That's dirty you're only aiming for the injury you caused!" Nami said as her teeth gritted in anger. Why did she even care this much to these pirates, it only fueled her anger more.

"So you're the big scary 'pirate hunter' well this'll teach you not to mess with the Buggy pirate crew." Cabaji smirked. Zoro pushed himself up onto his knees as Cabaji lunged forward. "Roronoa Zoro! Prepare to be _well done_!" Zoro quickly got up and slammed Cabaji right in the face with the hilt of his sword. Nami looked shocked while Luffy cheered. Sabo and Ace watched the battle with interest, their first mate was strong.

"You're a very annoying person…I hope you enjoyed kicking the wound you gave me." Zoro huffed as he cut the wound open.

"What, he cut himself?!" Cabaji said in shock. Nami covered her mouth as she looked away and Luffy winced. Even Sabo and Ace twitched, that looked as If it hurt…Zoro huffed and then put the third sword in his mouth as he stood up straight.

"My goal is to be the greatest swordsman…is that enough of a handicap for you? Because now I'll show you some real swordplay." Luffy's eyes sparkled in admiration.

"Wow Zoro's so cool!" He cried out happily.

"Hmph…so Roronoa Zoro is trying to make a fool out of _me_?" Cabaji said. Heavy silence was surrounding the area as blood slowly dripped down from Zoro's sword.

"I'm feeling faint just watching this!" Nami said while holding her stomach. Luffy just cheered on for Zoro.

"I can't lose, not even once, to anyone who calls himself a swordsman." Zoro said while sweating, his injury was stinging and it was also itchy in a way, but he wouldn't let anything get in the way of this battle.

"So you injured yourself doe your reputation…well don't worry your wounds are severe, they'll make an excellent excuse when you lose." Cabaji said while smirking confidently.

"It's the other way around…If I lose to the likes of you when my wounds are only this light, then I may as well give up my dream now." Zoro said while going into a fighting stance. Blood dripped down his pants as he smirked. Cabaji sweated a little, but still had his confidence.

"Hey!" Nami said at Sabo and he turned his head. "That shack behind the ruins of the tavern is where they keep there treasure and I'll make my escape once I get it. I got to do it while they're all knocked out, and whether you guys lose or not…I don't really care, but if you do defeat Buggy only then will I consider going with you." She said and Sabo grinned.

"Okay, well you better hold up to that deal." He said and she nodded running off. "Well Ace lets watch a little more before we join in the fun." Ace nodded watching silently.

"Roronoa Zoro! Have a taste of the greatest of all my circus tricks!" Cabaji said while holding spinning tops in his hands, he threw many of the tops at Zoro and then went up a building. "Circus trick: 'A Hike In the Mountains.'" Zoro quickly cut through all the tops and Cabaji sprang off the building as he placed the blade of his sword downward and plummeted towards where Zoro stood. "Sting of the Unicycle!" Buggy used his ability and his hand shot low towards Zoro's legs.

"Low Flying Chop Chop Cannon!" Buggy yelled. "Cabaji! I'll hold down Zoro! You finish him off!"

"Damn!" Zoro said as he tried to focus on both objects.

"With pleasure!" Cabaji replied, continuing the attack. Luffy stepped in and stomped on Buggy's hand who held his arm in pain.

"Luffy!" Zoro said relieved.

"Keep your hands out of Zoro's duel Rudolph!" Luffy said while sticking his tongue out.

"You brat…" Buggy said getting angry. Zoro grinned and dodged out of Cabaji's attack while standing up again.

"I've had enough…I'm tired…" He said while gripping all three swords.

"You're tired? What's wrong moss head, so you've finally given up, well I'm not surprised, it's amazing how you could still stand in your condition." Cabaji chuckled. And Zoro kicked him in the stomach.

"You've it wrong, what I'm tired of are your stupid circus tricks!" Zoro scowled and went into a position.

"Very well! No more tricks, I'll finish you now…with my _real_ swordsmanship!" Cabaji said as everyone's attention focused on what the outcome would be.

"Oni…" Zoro began as Cabaji ran forth. "GIRI!*" Zoro moved as quick as the wind and cut through Cabaji quickly.

"CABAJI!" Buggy yelled while gritting his teeth.

"How could these common thieves have beaten us? We're the Buggy pirate gang-the scourge of the sea…how could things have gone this far…?" Cabaji asked himself as he fell to the floor. Zoro pulled off his bandana tying it back on to his arm as he sighed.

"We're not _common_ thieves. " Zoro said while sitting down. "We're _pirates_!"

"Zoro, thanks you can take a good rest now." Sabo said while walking up.

"You guys call yourselves pirates?!" Buggy demanded as he crossed his arms.

"That's right, now let's get on with the fight now shall we?" Sabo said."We have to get to the grand line quickly, or else my little brother won't sit still."

"So that's where you going, what do you plan to do there!? Go sightseeing?!" Buggy yelled irritated. Sabo shook his head patiently.

"We're going to make our younger baby brother, the King of the Pirates!" Sabo declared while pointing his cane at Buggy. Buggy had a disbelieving look as his face went blank.

"DON'T BE A FOOL IF YOU'RE KING THEN WHAT AM I? GOD?!" He yelled.

"Doesn't matter who or what you are, just attack…I'm getting bored." Sabo said resting the cane on his shoulder. Luffy and Ace stepped up.

"I want to verse him!" Luffy whined, but Ace lightly hit his brother.

"Come on let your brothers have some fun once in a while!" Ace said while chuckling. Luffy pouted and held his straw hat while turning away from Ace.

"You and your straw hat remind me of _him_ when he was younger…That insolent dog with the red hair!" Buggy said and Luffy immediately perked up.

"Red hair?!" He asked stepping up, Ace and Sabo groaned, this topic again. "Are you talking about Shanks?! Do you know Shanks?!" Luffy asked, curious.

"Hmm, you seem real interested, yes, I know him. What's it to you?" Buggy asked while smirking.

"Where is he now?!" Luffy demanded getting impatient.

"So you want to know where he is, eh? Well maybe I know…" Buggy teased. "Then again, maybe I don't."

"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?" Luffy asked, his brothers snickered at that.

"WATCH YOUR TONGUE BRAT!" Buggy yelled. "We're mortal enemies, you won't get any information without a fight not even as a departing gift to hell…"

"Then I'm going to beat it out of you!" Luffy declared.

"Hahaha, you'd be dead before you get even one word out of me." Buggy grabbed hold of daggers between his fingers and small knives came out of his shoes. "Buzz Saw!" He detatched his legs as they spun in circles the blades in the shoes making a sharp circle. Luffy jumped out of the way as Buggy threw the daggers and Luffy transformed while flying higher in the air.

"I see, so you have a Zoan, this is getting interesting." Buggy smirked.

"Sure is! But I didn't name my moves yet!" Luffy yelled in a small voice before closing his wings and going down like a torpedo.

"Interesting power you got there, never seen one like that before." Buggy commented as he dodged the incoming torpedo and Luffy slammed into the ground causing a small crater. "But as your stuck then that move would be no use!" Buggy said as he tried to stab Luffy, but he quickly flew up in the air as he brushed off debris and raised a small paw into a fist and then charged forward aiming for his head, but Buggy's head floated in mid air as Luffy almost slammed his neck. He crashed into a building instead.

"You underestimate me brat!" Buggy said and then Ace charged in front as Sabo flanked the side. Ace turned his fist into fire as he tried to slam down into Buggy's face which he easily dodged. Sabo quickly hit him on the side with the sea stone cane and Buggy fell to the floor.

"Damn that cane is made out of that sea stone material isn't it?" Buggy asked while quickly jumping away and Sabo only nodded as Luffy jumped out of the debris. "And now there are three devil fruit users here."

"How am I supposed to hit you if you keep going into pieces!" Luffy whined. Nami was hiding behind a building as she watched the fight.

"What a fight! It's like I'm seeing things…" She mumbled to herself. Buggy placed more daggers between one of his hands as it flew towards Luffy.

"Chop Chop Harpoon!" Luffy caught the arm, but the hand flew forward cutting Luffy in the face and he crashed to the floor. Ace glared knives at the man as his shoulders went aflame. Buggy was slightly wary of this one, he seemed to be a logia type.

"Darn you!" Luffy yelled as he looked up at his hat. "YOU NICKED MY HAT!" Luffy cried out in rage. Buggy noticed this and smirked. "THIS IS MY TREASURE NOBODY DAMAGES THIS HAT!" Luffy yelled. Nami looked in shock at the enraged face.

"It's that important to you eh?" Buggy said as his detached hand floated from behind Luffy. It threw a dagger and Luffy dodged his hat flying off his head.

"Luffy!" Sabo yelled. Then the hand flew towards Luffy's hat.

"Then you should take better care of it!" Buggy yelled as the daggers stabbed the hat. Time slowed for the small boy as he stared in shock and sadness.

"_This hat…is my gift to you..This is my favorite hat you know, when you become a great pirate in the future return it to me."_

His cat ears were revealed as both Nami and Buggy stared in shock. Luffy hissed and sprang forth at Buggy who detached his head thinking it would be the same move set once more, but Luffy instead punched the man's treasure of the body. Luffy then scratched his face again before jumping back, hat in hand. He looked at the damage and tears fell down his cheeks.

"I promised, to give this hat back to…Shanks when I…grew up!" Luffy wailed as he hugged the hat tightly. Once Luffy began to wail, Ace snapped. He went in flames as he punched Buggy's body through buildings with a dark look. Sabo walked over to Luffy and kneeled down trying to comfort his younger brother. Nami noticed that she was stalling and then ran towards where the treasure was, hoping that Luffy would be fine.

"Hmph, so that hat belonged to Shanks you say? No wonder it looked so familiar." Buggy said as he appeared with a few scratches. "When I was younger, he and I were on the same ship, as…pirate apprentices I guess you would say." Buggy said walking back and this time Luffy snapped.

"SHANKS IS A GREAT MAN! DON'T EVER MENTION SHANKS AND YOURSELF IN THE SAME BREATH AGAIN!" He yelled. Sabo hugged him tightly, worried that Luffy might go berserk, it wasn't a pretty thing when he did that.

"I have every right to say whatever I want about him! He took away my treasure from me long ago!" Buggy yelled grimacing at the memories. "I'll never forgive him, that bastard. "

-oOo-

_"I suppose someday…we'll leave this ship." A young Buggy said, he was currently sitting outside on deck with a young Shanks. _

_ "Aye…I'll go off on my own someday, as captain of my own ship! I'll make time to see the world, I'll so some pirating along the way of course." Shanks said while smiling. _

_ "Haha! Still a soft fool." Buggy said while laughing._

_ "What?" Shanks said while pouting._

_ "But you're a good fighter, I'll give you that, if it weren't for your soft way of thinking, I'd ask you to be on my crew." Buggy said, smirking. Shanks took a swig of alcohol and replied._

_ "Work for you? Never! We think differently, better if we go our separate ways, being a pirate is all about going your own way!" _

_ "Hahaha! How would you know what being a pirate is all about, if we ever cross paths on the high seas, it'll be a fight to the finish! Agreed?" Buggy said. _

_ "Agreed, that's also what being a pirate is all about." Shanks said. _

_ "Sometimes you baffle me…" Buggy sighed and then remembered something. "Now what were you yammering about? Something interesting?" _

_ "Aye…We found some devil fruit!" Shanks said perking up at the topic. "They say that the devil fruit was enchanted by sea devils, whoever eats it gets amazing powers, but the seas turn against them…cap'n says anyone who wants to can eat it."_

_ "Gahaha! What sea dog would give up his ability to swim!" Buggy smirked as he looked a treasure map he had stolen from another ship secretly. _

_ "The devil fruit's worth a fortune you know, some people will pay a hundred million berries for it." Shanks said. _

_ "Impossible!" Buggy said, and then he formed up a plan that night. Next morning, he tricked the others by pretending to eat a devil fruit and then had both the map and the fruit. That night Shanks came over and surprised Buggy who shoved the fruit into his mouth. Shanks left, but then came back causing Buggy to swallow the fruit. There was a pause. Buggy yelled as he shook Shanks from the shirt and then he dropped the map. Buggy dived in for the map until he couldn't move at all and found himself sinking. Shanks then jumped in and saved his crewmate._

-oOo-

All the three brothers laughed at the story.

"Oh so Shanks saved you!" Luffy said, all tears gone. Buggy grew a tick mark on his head.

"NO HE DIDN'T IT WAS HIS ENTIRE FAULT, HE FOILED MY PLANS!" Buggy yelled. "SO I CHANGED MY PLANS, IF I CAN'T THE TREASURES THAT'S IN THE SEA THEN ILL JUST HAVE TO TAKE ALL THE TREASURES ON LAND, USING MY CHOP CHOP POWER! I don't care how insignificant you are, but if you put your hands on my treasure…" Buggy flew over the trio towards Nami, who held a bagful of treasure. "I'LL SQUASH YOU! HANDS OFF MY TREASURE!"

"I've been found out!" Nami said, sweating.

"You went get the better of me girl, I'll cut you to pieces!" The brothers noticed the legs left behind and then looked at each other and nodded. Sabo held his cane in the air, and his Buggy's treasure right between the legs, hard. Buggy slumped to the floor in pain and in weakness.

"That's dirty…attacking me on my lower half…" Buggy said while crying tears of pain.

"Our fights not over yet Buggy!" Luffy said all pumped up. "Nami drop the bag and get out of here, he's going to keep coming after you!"

"Leave the treasure not a chance! I'm not going to leave my treasure behind!" Nami yelled.

"'Your' treasure?" Buggy said recovering from the pain. Nami raised a fist.

"That's right! _My_ treasure! I'm a master thief and I just stole it! Mine, mine, mine!"

"That's my treasure you fool! It's not yours until you get away with it, it's a basic tenet of thievery!" Buggy yelled, getting angrier.

"The bad guy wants to lecture the bad guy eh? I don't argue with lowlife pirates! I'd never stoop so low, as to take lessons from you!" Nami said while sticking her tongue out.

"Then suffer the consequences…" Buggy said. "Chop Chop…FESTIVAL!" He yelled while his whole body split apart and Nami began to run away again. "LET'S SEE YOU SAVE YOUR FRIEND NOW BRATS!"

"Sabo he's all over the place!" Ace grumbled. Sabo shook his head and pointed at Luffy who was picked up a foot and both snickered. Luffy took the foot out of the shoe and grinned. He began to tickle it.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! ST-STOP IT!" Buggy yelled while laughing. Nami shrieked as she saw the scary face and she began to cry. Luffy then jabbed his tows on the hard concrete, which made another strange face come out of Buggy and Nami shrieked again.

"Luffy let me try!" Ace said while chuckling. "You're a tough clown aren't you? Here's one for making my brother cry!" Ace then tugged on the skin as hard as he could.

"EEEEEYAAAHHHH!" Buggy yelled and Nami screamed. Sabo laughed at the reaction.

"Hey let me try next!" He asked excitedly.

"ENOUGH ALREADY YOU BRATS, CUT IT OUT!" Buggy yelled. All three sweat dropped.

"The one that needs to cut it out is you!" Nami said while swinging the heavy bag at his face. Buggy smirked as his hands took the bag.

"Thank you…for returning my treasure!" Buggy said and Nami slightly panicked.

"Let go!" She said trying to tug the bag out of his hands.

"You let go!" Buggy yelled back and then Sabo ran over as Nami was about to be stabbed from behind.

"Hey don't make innocent people join in the fight!" Sabo said while jumping up in the air holding his cane. "We're your opponents…" He whacked Buggy hard in the face with the cane. "REMEMBER?!" Buggy flew across the area and slammed into the wall. Nami held onto her bag of treasure, panting.

"Yeah you got him Sabo!" Luffy cheered and Ace ruffled Luffy's hair, smiling. "Finally we beat him!"

"Thanks for saving me, Sabo!" Nami sighed. Sabo nodded and then looked at Buggy's head which then floated up.

"Not so fast idiots, because I'm going to kill you!" Buggy yelled. Nami noticed the parts moving towards him and grinned evilly. "Come together! Chop Chop-"Only Buggy's hands and feet were left as Nami tied up the rest.

"Anyone want last hit before I do it myself?" Sabo asked grinning. Luffy grinned and rushed forward transforming into his smaller form and then rushed like a torpedo once more.

"Jet…" Luffy said as he made a name. "Spear!" Buggy was blasted in the air and disappeared soon after.

"Luffy that was a crappy name!" Ace said laughing and Luffy ran over.

"Ace did you see though?! Sabo you saw to right?" Luffy cried out in pride. Both brothers nodded and smiled.

"We won, so now you'll join our crew right Nami?" Sabo asked and she nodded.

"For the time being, you have to give Buggy credit, he had an eye for treasure, this is first class and it's easily worth ten million berries!" Luffy looked at his town hat. His ears flattened.

"That hat meant a lot to you huh?" Nami asked. Luffy nodded and then put the hat on grinning.

"It's okay; I guess I could still wear it, it felt good when I sent him flying through the air…" Luffy said. Ace soon woke Zoro up and all five were about to leave until a group of people showed up.

"Hey you guys, we're the citizens of this town, did the pirates mute you or something, and come on you can talk!"

"The town's people that's a relief thought you might be pirates, we'll tell you what happened, but it's a long story…" Nami began, but was interrupted.

"The mayor, is he hurt?! What happened here?!"

"It was those lousy pirates!"

"No it wasn't we knocked him out!" Luffy stated. And the villagers turned towards them with death glared.

"Luffy they didn't have to know that!" Nami scolded.

"You what did you do the mayor are you pirates?!"

"We're pirates." Luffy stated again and Nami almost fell. Ace, Sabo and Zoro laughed at his straight forwardness and then the townspeople attacked. All of them ran, Zoro a little slow because of his wound, and they went into an alley. ChouChou blocked the villagers from getting the group as he looked back.

"Go forth and continue your journey Luffy!" ChouChou barked. Luffy grinned and they all managed to make it on their ship.

"Hey your ship has Buggy's mark on it!" Zoro pointed out.

"It was his ship! I'll replace it later!" Nami replied.

"HEY WAIT YOU BRATS! WAIT! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO YOU!" The mayor ran towards them, his armor taken off. "THANK YOU! I WON'T FORGET IT!" He cried and smiled. The crew smiled back.

"No problem, take it easy okay?!" Ace yelled. Everyone waved goodbye. Nami looked to the horizon and smiled, maybe, just maybe, pirates weren't so bad after all.

***Oni Giri-Demon Slash **

**Horrible ending…well here it is I was literally stuck on this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it? I'm sorry if it turned out…crappy or….boring or many other ways to describe it. Erm Sorry O_O This was really long...**


	6. Chapter 6

** Hiya! Nice to meet you all again! This chapter will be filled with chit chat, just saying, all the action will come later in chapter seven. =^= I present to you chapter 6 :# **

* * *

**Chapter Six - Captain Usopp Makes An Entrance! **

"We're being rash…" Nami said while sighing. She sat down on her ship that she stole and went into a thinking position.

"Why, what's the matter Nami?" Ace asked, and then Sabo looked around and understood what the navigator had meant.

"What she means is that, we can't really enter the Grand Line like this." He explained while putting an arm over the boat's side. Luffy frowned and ran towards Nami with a sad puppy eyed look.

"That's not true right? The old man we met before gave us a lot of food!" He whimpered and Nami swallowed, until she shook her head.

"Ah don't worry! All we just need to do is get a better ship." She quickly said and Luffy smiled. A while ago, the crew had docked onto an island which had strange hybrid animals, kind of like Luffy's devil fruit. A man by the name of Gaimon had gotten himself stuck inside a treasure chest and was abandoned by his crew. He then lived with all the animals, who were fond of him and all just wouldn't want to part with one another. They had helped him discover that there really was no treasure inside the treasure chests he had once discovered and he then realized that the treasure was right next to him, the creatures. After staying a day with him, the small crew left for another trip to another island.

"Yeah and some meat!" Luffy cried out, he didn't mind fruits, but meat was way better. Nami decided it was best not to argue and relaxed while looking at the Grand Line map that she had also stolen.

"It's a good thing you got that from that Buggy guy before." Ace said while gesturing at the map. "Otherwise we wouldn't know where to go." She nodded and Zoro looked as if he remembered something.

"Oh hey, you're right Nami." He said aloud and Nami looked shocked, did he really just agree and understand what she had said? "We don't have a drop of sake aboard." She mentally face palmed, of course this idiot wouldn't understand.

"Listen guys, we're headed for the _Grand Line_, the most dangerous sea lane in the world!" Nami exclaimed. "And don't forget, the most successful pirates alive are after the One Piece too! Their ships are big and sturdy, while ours are small and we don't even have a real crew yet! If we go on like this, we'll never survive this foolhardy adventure."

"Now now I'm sure there's really no need to worry right now, we can try and find a good ship at the next island, there should be an island south of here judging from the map right?" Sabo said walking and leaning over to Nami's ship, looking at the map. She nodded in response and sighed. At least there was one person who had common sense in this crew, for that she was very thankful.

"So you got that guys? Our first priority is to acquire a proper ship." Nami pointed at everyone on the other ship.

"Yeah, sure." They all said with a bored tone except for Sabo who only nodded.

"The way you say it isn't even believable!" Nami yelled.

-Meanwhile In a Village-

"Ah, a new day! The sun shines bright and cheerful on the sea!" A village youth said. This boy was named, Usopp. What was distinctive about his face was his natural long nose, kind of like Pinocchio. He wore brown overalls and his waist was tied with a long piece of white cloth. On his right wrist was a band with blue and white stripes while hung over his shoulder was a light brown bag. His black curly hair was secured on his head by another cloth. Usopp ran into the village and cupped his hands to his mouth.

"HORRORS! WE'RE DOOMED, THE PIRATES ARE COMING, THEY'RE ATTACKING THE VILLAGE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" He yelled while running around town screaming a manly scream.

"WHAT, PIRATES?!" A villager yelled looking outside from his house.

"PIRATES?!" Another yelled and an old man sipped his coffee while looking out the window.

"Well, that's Usopp's morning commotion, I'd best be off to work by now."

"He's at it again." A villager chuckled and continued to read his newspaper.

"JUST KIDDING! HAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed and was hit in the head with a pot.

"You lying brat! Today I'm gonna teach you a lesson!" A man said holding a mop with an infuriated face. Soon angry villagers came out of their homes holding whatever they could get their hands on. Usopp raised his fists in excitement as he watched the crowd gather until they all charged forward at him. Usopp laughed, tears coming out of his eyes as he soon quickly outran the villagers. He hid in a tree as he watched the villagers look around for him.

"I fooled all the villagers again!" Usopp said while snickering and lay back on the trunk. "Hah, I did it again today, just a little jolt of excitement in this boring little village!" Two children ran up to Usopp while whispering to one another. "Hey it's you guys!" Usopp exclaimed and jumped down from the tree.

"Aye, captain Usopp, good morning sir!" One of the children said while holding up a small wooden dagger.

"Your pirate crew reporting for duty!" The other, taller one said. The taller was named Carrot, and while the shorter was named Pepper. Both were village boys who followed Usopp.

"Pepper, Carrot! Just the two of you? Where's Onion?" Usopp asked looking around, hands on hips. Carrot looked at Pepper and both shrugged.

"Still sleeping I guess, right?" Carrot asked Pepper and he nodded agreeing. Usopp sighed until they heard a yell.

"WE'RE DOOMED! THE PIRATES ARE COMING!" A young boy ran towards them , panting. He was the one by the name of Onion. "It's true, I saw them with my own two eyes, a ship flying the skull and crossbones is coming from the north!"

"Liar!" All three of them said and Onion grew a tick mark on his forehead.

"IT'S TRUE!" He insisted. "Its sail has the sign of Buggy the Clown!" Usopp's eyes popped out as he heard that.

"You're not lying?!" He asked frantically.

"It's true we're in danger!" Onion replied also frantic. Usopp composed himself and went into a thinking position before running off.

"It's time for my snack!" He yelled while dashing off.

"Don't run away!" The three boys yelled back and sweat dropped.

"I have a medical condition, if I don't eat my snack on time…I'll croak…" Usopp said while putting a hand to his stomach and acted as if he were sick.

"LIAR!" All three yelled again.

"Captain don't you want to become a real pirate?!" Carrot yelled trying to encourage him.

"A real pirate wouldn't be scared of other pirates!" Pepper added.

"Yeah and there's only five of them, one being a kid!" Onion explained. Usopp paused, so only four people and one child.

"Only…five and one of them is a child? So the ship isn't big?"He asked looking at Onion.

"No just two small boats." Onion confirmed.

"All right Usopp pirate crew prepare for action, we'll defend our village!" Usopp said running off. "Okay let's go follow me!"

"Uh…OKAY!" The kids yelled in enthusiasm and ran after him.

-Meanwhile-

"Wow there really is an island here Nami!" Luffy yelled excitedly. Nami smiled and held the boy in her arms while tucking his tail and covering his ears with the hat. Ace and Sabo we're really persistent when it came to covering these ears and tail, so in the end it became a habit to cover his cat features for Nami and Zoro. Luffy jumped out of Nami's arms as he ran towards Zoro.

"Zoro carry me!" Luffy said with a serious face. Zoro scowled and shook his head. Luffy pouted and then came up with an idea. The boy looked down for a few moments and Zoro looked confused, did he hurt him? Luffy then looked up with big eyes and tears were threatening to fall as he mouth curved upside down into a small frown. Luffy whimpered and held his arms up in the cutest way possible and he transformed into his smaller form which made it worse for the swordsman. Reactions were like so: Sabo and Ace who were jumping out of the ship both fell onto ground while stuttering and Nami ran over and whacked Zoro for rejecting him and then tried to comfort Luffy. Zoro looked away, but looked back and he cursed while picking up Luffy who giggled in glee.

"Luffy I swear, don't ever do that again, you're going to kill me…" Ace mumbled while getting up. "Why do you even want to be carried by Zoro anyways?" Luffy had a thoughtful look and then put his small paws on Zoro's green, short hair.

"Just because!" He declared while changing back into his child form. Zoro sighed and set Luffy down while stretching.

"Luffy go get carried by your brother or something, I'm tired…" Zoro said and yawned.

"Luffy come here, I'll carry you." Sabo offered and Luffy immediately ran over. Sabo put his younger brother on his shoulders as he took off the top hat so it won't get in the way. Zoro stretched and then paused abruptly, he felt as if someone was watching him; Sabo and Ace felt it as well. All three looked up towards the cliff and saw four shadows.

"So, who are those people over there?" Zoro said loudly as he narrowed his eyes. The four shadows stood up and gasped. Three quickly ran away and the small crew sweat dropped.

"AHHHH! THEY SEE US!" The three yelled and Usopp's eyes popped out.

"HEY DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!" Usopp yelled and then now looked at the five who were staring at him. Usopp climbed down the cliff and stood tall while crossing his arms. "I am the notorious Captain Usopp, feared pirate and ruler of this village! So you better think twice before you invade, I have my eighty million men poised to stop you." Nami wore a blank look.

"Liar." She stated and Usopp panicked.

"DARN! SHE SAW THROUGH ME!" Usopp put his hands on his heads and sweated.

"See? I knew it…" Nami sweat dropped.

"DAMN! I ADMITTED THAT I LIED! SHE'S A MASTER OF INTERROGATION!" Usopp said while looking away. Luffy jumped down from Sabo's head and laughed at him.

"You're funny!" He said while rolling on the floor.

"HEY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME?!" Usopp yelled at the child. "I'm a proud man! Which is why they call me 'Proud Captain Usopp!'" He pulled out a sling shot and put a pachinko ball in the middle of the string and pulling it back. "My way of using these pachinko ball's and a slingshot is better than that of a pistol!" Luffy looked up when the word "pistol" was mentioned.

"Then I guess we have to fight, since you said that was stronger than a pistol." Luffy said and everyone looked over with a surprised look. "You're putting your life on the line by pointing that at us." He said with a serious look. Nami wondered where he had obtained that phrase, it wasn't like a child to say that, but then again this _was_ Luffy. Ace and Sabo watched with amusement, so their brother _could_ be mature at times. Usopp felt a cold shiver down his spine, this was a kid and he was being scared! Zoro stepped up and then shadows fell over one of his eyes as the swordsman smirked.

"We're real pirates you know." He said while resting a hand on the hilt of a sword. Ace and Sabo also stepped up, they both wanted to see whether or not he would shoot it. If he did, well then like their little brother said, they're going to fight. Usopp looked at the four that stepped up and found that they were dead serious. He fell to his knees and dropped the weapon.

"Sorry…pirates words are really intimidating…" Usopp mumbled the last part, but they heard it loud and clear. Everyone laughed except for Usopp.

"Don't worry that was a phrase I just got from Shanks!" Luffy said while laughing. "He was a great pirate that I looked up to!" Usopp almost fell over when he heard the name "Shanks", but quickly regained his balance.

"You know him?! The great pirate, Shanks?!" Usopp cried out in awe. Nami now understood where the young child had gotten that, it made sense in a way. The two older brothers grimaced that would be the 50,567th time that Shanks guy was mentioned from their younger brother, why they were keeping count? They didn't know.

"Yeah! Yassop was it? Your father." Luffy said while grinning. Usopp now fell off the cliff and scrambled up while running towards Luffy.

"You know my father?!" He asked while grinning, Luffy nodded and then his stomach rumbled.

"I'm hungry…" He whined while falling to the floor. Ace sat down and his stomach rumbled as well.

"Same here!" He cried out and laughed. Sabo sighed as he stepped up to Usopp.

"Do you mind telling us where a restaurant is please?" He asked politely. "Or else these two will never shut up." Usopp wondered if they really were pirates, if so then they were pretty strange. In the end he really wanted to know more about his father so he nodded.

"Yeah sure, follow me!" Usopp said while dashing off. Luffy immediately jumped up and ran after him on all fours. Zoro walked where the two ran off and Nami made sure to keep a close eye since the swordsman had a horrible sense of direction, they found out during their last adventure. Ace and Sabo began to talk with one another about what ship they should get.

-Later-

"Wow, so my dad is on a yonkou's ship eh, and you're looking for crewmates?" Usopp said awed. Luffy chewed on a piece of meat, cut into pieces by Sabo so he wouldn't choke, and nodded.

"Your dad had a great aim, he always hit his target." Luffy swallowed and drank water. "He always told me stories about you back then." Usopp looked as if he was going to die of happiness, he was also proud of his father in many ways. Ace stuffed his face with food whilst Sabo just ate calmly.

"Yeah we are apparenfly five people ifn't realfy enough for my little bfother here." Ace said his words slightly muffled by the food. Usopp sweat dropped.

"Hey do you know if we could get a ship here?" Nami asked. Sabo paused to listen.

"Well you won't find any galleons, but there's one place you could go that would possibly have a ship." Usopp replied while shaking a finger. "There's a huge mansion that stands out like a sore thumb, that's where you should try and get your ship. The owner of the mansion is a young girl, but she's bedridden."

"How did she become the owner of the mansion then?" Sabo asked with a confused look, Nami looked surprised and also wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Excuse me, but can we get some more meat?" Ace ordered to a passing waitress and Zoro held up a cup.

"And more sake!" Zoro added. Usopp looked at the two a tick mark forming on his fore head.

"ARE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING TO MY STORY?!" He yelled. Nami and Sabo sweat dropped. Usopp continued anyway knowing at least _some_ people were listening.

"Well to answer your question, her parents passed away about a year ago and they left her with that mansion, a huge inheritance, and a dozen servants." Usopp leaned back in his chair, sighing. "She's rich and lives in luxury, but nobody's more unfortunate than her." Nami and Sabo looked at each other with troubled looks and Nami sighed.

"Okay then, forget it we're not going to get a ship here; let's just find another town." She said. Luffy stopped eating and then frowned, but he had also heard the story.

"Okay!" Luffy agreed while drinking water.

"Come on guys let's just finish up here and get some supplies later on then take our leave." Sabo said and thanked Usopp.

"By the way you guys are looking for crewmen right?" Usopp asked and everyone nodded. "Then I'm the man, I'll be your captain!"

"No thanks." All five said in unison.

"CAN'T YOU THINK IT OVER AT LEAST?!" Usopp yelled, offended and looked over at the clock. "Time to go." He sat up and paid while running outside. The crew looked over in confusion and decided it was probably personal. Three kids didn't notice Usopp running off in another direction and slowly crept towards the restaurant, small wooden daggers in hand.

"Onion, are you sure those pirates went in there with the captain?" Pepper whispered as he pressed his back against the wall. Onion nodded, confirming that he did truly see them.

"We gotta save him!" Onion said a little too loudly. Inside the restaurant Sabo looked over at the window and shrugged thinking that it was probably a cat.

"But real pirates are savages! They'll eat us!" Carrot protested. Pepper grew annoyed as he snapped.

"Dummy! Pirates don't eat people! _Ogresses_ do! Now be brave!" He spat. "This will be the greatest battle that Usopp's pirates have ever fought!" All three kids nodded in determination while slamming the door open, gaining attention from a few people along with Luffy's group.

"USOPP'S PIRATES ARE HERE!" The kids yelled in unison, the people then went back to their meals hearing the name Usopp they all knew it was probably some child's game. Luffy scooted towards the edge of the chair and looked over wondering what the commotion was about until Sabo scooped the boy up in his arms and made sure Luffy sat next to him.

"Sabo, I wanna see!" Luffy whined, but shut up when his elder brother gave him a piece of meat which he munched on happily. Ace had fallen asleep again, but this time he finished his meal so his head was lying on the wooden table. Zoro was asleep as well; hand on cup and not giving a care in the world.

"I wonder what those kids are up to." Nami asked to herself as she watched the three stomps over to their table.

"Hey! Where's the captain!" Carrot said with his best scowl, not that they could see his eyes in the first place, it being covered by his hair.

"Could they have finished him already?!" Onion cried out. Pepper also scowled as he raised his wooden dagger, the other two following the gesture.

"What'd you do with our captain?!" Pepper yelled. Zoro abruptly woke up and looked at the kids in confusion. Sabo only yawned which further annoyed the kids, he didn't really mean to, it's just that it was such a nice day and he felt quite tired.

"Hey you pirates, give him back!" Carrot yelled.

"Ah that meat was really good!" Luffy cried out while smiling in content. The three kids looked horrified as Luffy patted his stomach.

"M-meat?!" Pepper cried out with a shocked look.

"The captain! He couldn't have-!" Onion stammered. Nami giggled and Zoro decided to tease them a little.

"If you're looking for your captain..." Zoro began and the kids gulped as he gave a smirk, "…we just ate him!" The kids eyes popped out as they cried and looked at Nami while screaming.

"GYAHHHHH! OGRESS!" They yelled. Zoro and Luffy laughed while pounding on the table. Sabo had to stifle his chuckle because then it would be considered rude to Nami.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" She yelled, clearly pissed off and Zoro kept howling in laughter, he hadn't laughed like this in a while. Luffy stifled his laughs, but was failing as he also burst out in a fit of giggles.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Nami yelled while banging on the table with one hand. After sorting the mess out, Ace still sleeping, the group began to converse with the kids about where their captain was.

"'Time to go'?" Onion asked with a confused look. All three boys stood in a line in front of the table.

"Yeah, that was what he had said and left." Nami said still a little annoyed, but since these were kids she decided not to hit them after all. They gave an understanding look and then Pepper explained.

"It was probably time for him to go to the mansion!" He exclaimed.

"You mean the one where the sick girl lives in?" Nami asked her eyes filled with curiosity. Carrot nodded and Luffy's ears perked up from under his hat.

"Why would he go there?" Sabo inquired.

"To tell lies!" Carrot grinned. Sabo almost fell while Nami sweat dropped.

"That's not very nice…" Luffy pouted, his tail was itching to come out from his shirt, but he knew better, that and he would be scolded.

"Yes it is! It's very nice of him!" Pepper defended. "Right?"

"Yeah it's great!" Onion said with happiness. Luffy looked at them with a confused look, same went for the others. Ace finally woke up and looked around at the confused faces.

"So, what happened?" He asked.

-With Usopp-

Usopp lightly tapped on the mansions window knowing exactly which to tap on. A girl opened the window and her face brightened.

"Usopp!" She cried out in joy.

"Hey, looking as unhealthy as ever madam!" Usopp greeted back. He walked back and sat down in front of a tree, his back leaning against the bark.

"I'm sorry I can't welcome you as a proper guest, Klahadore just won't allow it…He's not a bad person though, really!" She explained, getting a little flustered at the end. Usopp smiled and shifted to make himself more comfortable.

"Nah that's fine, I don't really care, I like being out here anyway! I wouldn't be comfortable in your fancy old mansion, not to be rude of course." He said while giving a short cough. "After all, I', a brave and gallant pirate!"

"Well? What's today's adventure?" She asked excitedly, but at the same time her breathing was labored.

"Now no need to be so impatient Kaya!" Usopp chuckled. "Today I'm going to tell you something that happened when I was five years old, I fought a giant goldfish that lived in the south seas."

"A goldfish?" Kaya asked, being curious.

"Yeah! And you should've seen the size of its poop! It was so big I thought it was an island and moored my ship to it!" Usopp exclaimed brightly. Kaya began to laugh, Usopp was a great friend to her, he's the only one who brought joy into her boring world. Kaya wished that these moments would forever last.

-Inside the Restaurant-

"Wow so he's a nice guy!" Luffy grinned and began to jump around in his seat.

"He makes up stories to cheer her up? And he's been doing that for the past year?" Nami asked. She actually thought that it was pretty sweet of him to do that.

"That's right." Pepper said while smiling.

"That's what I like about the captain , he's a meddler!" Carrot said in awe.

"I like the captain because he's bossy!" Pepper said joining in on the chain.

"I like the captain because he's so boastful!" Onion cried out in joy.

_"He sure has a lot of good qualities…"_ Ace and Zoro thought sarcastically. Sabo smiled nervously while sipping a cup of tea.

"Then that mean's the girl's spirit isn't too low right?" Luffy asked, hopping out of his seat.

"Yeah! And it's all thanks to the captain."Carrot replied proudly.

"Okay then, we'll go get a ship from there!" The small child declared proudly. Nami resisted the urge to hit him and instead gave a light bonk to the head.

"Luffy we already discussed this, remember how I said that we wouldn't get the ship from there?" Nami said, kneeling down. Luffy held the top of his straw hat with both hands and pouted. Zoro got up and stretched while Ace grabbed his swords and tossed it to him.

"Might as well go and see how it works out." Ace lazily smiled. "Plus I need some adventure right Luffy?"

"Aye!" Luffy cried out happily, arms thrown up in the air. Nami sighed and gave in, she knew that the D. brothers were really persistent in what they wanted. The group took their leave and walked up to the mansion Usopp had mentioned.

"Hey you, give us a ship!" Luffy demanded putting a fist up. Everyone sweat dropped at the gesture. Having no answer however Luffy just climbed over the gate. "Yosh, let's go in."

"Ever heard of knocking first?" The three boys said with a dull tone.

"There would be absolutely no stopping him at this point…" Nami face palmed and sighed.

"I guess let's go with him inside." Zoro huffed and everyone began to climb over the gate. Usopp and Kaya were still having a conversation as the group approached them.

"Hahaha! But what did you do with the goldfish?" Kaya asked.

"I chopped it up and took it to a land of little people and they're still eating it to this day." Usopp said and grinned. "And after such a glorious feat the people called out to me as-"

"CAPTAIN!"

"That's right they called me-!" Usopp paused and turned his head while gasping. "What're _you_ guys doing here?!"

"Who are they?" Kaya asked puzzled.

"We brought these people with us!" Pepper yelled back and he pointed at Luffy who was smiling. He ran up to Kaya and stood on his toes while trying to get a good look at her.

"Ne, you must be the mistress of this place right?" Luffy asked with bright eyes. Kaya giggled and patted Luffy's head lightly.

"Yes that's correct and who might you be?" Kaya smiled. Usopp quickly rushed over and put a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Oh, they heard of my reputation and came from afar to seek me out." He lied. "They're the newest members of my crew!" Luffy nodded and paused soaking in the words.

"Hey wait that's not right!" Luffy pouted. "I have my own crew!"

"Um, excuse me, but just wanted to ask you a favor." Sabo quickly said and stepped up while tipping his hat.

"Of course if your Usopp's friends, what would that favor be?" Kaya asked, still smiling. Luffy perked up and grinned.

"We want a big sturdy ship!" Luffy said, Sabo looked over at his younger brother with a stern look and the boy remembered. "Please!"

"YOU REALIZE YOU'RE TRESPASSING?!" A voice yelled and everyone whipped their heads around to look at the source. Kaya had a troubled look and Usopp quickly looked away.

"Klahadore…" Kaya mumbled.

"What's his problem?" Luffy grimaced. Ace and Sabo made sure to step in front of their younger brother, this man didn't look so friendly. Zoro slowly moved his hand towards the hilt of one of his swords in case a fight may ensue.

"The butler!" Usopp whispered to himself and sweated. Klahadore walked up and Kaya immediately tried to defend the group.

"Wait, you see, these people they're…" Klahadore raised a hand and Kaya paused. The butler gave a stern look before replying.

"Save your excuses for later." He said with a tone that left no room for arguments. "You must all go immediately, unless you have some sort of business here?" Luffy quickly ran forward and Klahadore looked down at the child.

"Um, we want a big, sturdy ship please." Luffy said his tail twitching in anticipation underneath his shirt. But to the boy's disappointment the butler only scowled.

"I can't help you." He said bluntly and Luffy sulked away. Ace's eye twitched, did this man really think he could reject his cute little brother and get away with it? Hell no. Aces was about to step up and give a nasty yelling until Sabo grabbed his shoulder and shook his head while pointing at the determined Luffy. He understood and stepped back, Luffy was a strong boy and would never give up until he got what he wanted. Klahadore looked at Usopp , a scowl still present on his face.

"You, you're Usopp aren't you?" He asked and the said man gulped. "Your reputation precedes you, you're the talk of the village."

"Uh, thanks! Call me 'Captain Usopp' if you please." He said with pride. "But there's really no need for flattery!" Klahadore raised his glasses with the palm of his hand and shadows fell over his face.

"The guards had reported that you've been lurking around the estate, do you have any business here like those other trespassers over there." The group looked offended, they weren't exactly trespassing, well…they were in a way, but only for a small favor!

"Well, yes. I do. I've seen this legendary mole enter this estate and now I'm currently trying to capture it." Usopp quickly lied.

"Hmph, you've a gift for deceit." Klahadore smirked, Usopp took a step forward, this man was mocking him! "I've also heard stories of your father, you're the son of a filthy pirate, I wouldn't put anything past you. Now stay away from mistress Kaya." Nami's hands formed into fists as she scowled herself. Even if Usopp's dad was a pirate, no one should go that far. The rest had a blank look, they already knew that he had a father that was a pirate.

"A filthy pirate…?" Usopp muttered under his breath, now he was becoming enraged, no one mocks his father.

"You and mistress Kaya are completely from different worlds, is it money you're after? How much do you want?" Klahadore smirked. Kaya couldn't take this any longer, her butler was going too far.

"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR KLAHADOR!" She yelled and everyone looked over in surprise. "YOU OWE USOPP AN APOLOGY RIGHT NOW!" Klahadore looked unaffected as he scoffed.

"Mistress Kaya, tell me why I should apologize to this trash." He defended. "I'm only speaking the truth. But I do feel sorry for you, your treasure crazed idiot father did abandon you after all." Kaya began to become desperate.

"KLAHADORE!" She yelled once again.

"Stop bad mouthing my father…!" Usopp said in a low tone, his eyes narrows and he took another step forward. Ace thought about his own father and quickly put those thoughts aside, he had always despised that man ever since he left.

"What are you getting so worked up about? Why not just fabricate some of your outrageous lies about your father? Just say he's really a merchant or that he's not your real father, or perhaps…" Before he could finish the sentence Usopp already slammed his fist into the butler's cheek.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, what that man just said, took the last straw off of Usopp. Kaya brought a hand towards her mouth as she gasped. The three D. brothers narrowed their eyes and the children cried out in surprise and shock. Zoro watched calmly and Nami sweated.

"See how he is?! His first instinct is violence! He's an animal like his father!" Klahadore yelled while getting up slowly.

"SHUT UP!" Usopp repeated. "I'M PROUD THAT MY FATHER IS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE'S A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!" Usopp paused to take in a breath. "You're right…I _do _make up stories, BUT THERE'S ONE THING I'LL NEVER LIE ABOUT! I'LL NEVER LIE ABOUT MY PIRATE HERITAGE! I'M THE SON OF A PIRATE!" Ace now envied him, if only he had the same feelings, maybe life wouldn't have been so bad long ago. Sabo noticed this and frowned, Ace's past life wasn't easy and it was mostly because of his father's fame, however it was in a bad way.

"A pirate, a 'brave warrior of the sea'? Don't make me laugh!" Klahadore stood up and dusted off dirt with one hand. "Nonetheless your behavior is indisputable proof of your ruffian heritage. Lie all you want, but faced with difficulty your first recourse is violence. And I know you are only kind to miss Kaya because you're after her."

"What, I-!"

"I'M ONTO YOUR SCHEME YOU LOW LIFE! YOU'RE TRASH JUST LIKE YOUR PIRATE FATHER!" Klahadore yelled. Usopp grabbed the front of his shirt and was about to punch him again until Kaya intervened.

"STOP USOPP! PLEASE, NO MORE VIOLENCE!" She yelled. Usopp paused and looked over at Kaya while gritting his teeth. "Klahadore's not a bad person…he takes care of me! He only wants what's best for me he just…went too far…" She sobbed. Klahadore slapped Usopp's hand away.

"Leave the grounds, THIS IS NO PLACE FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU, NEVER COME NEAR THIS ESTATE AGAIN!" He yelled in outrage. Usopp gave in and scowled.

"Fine have it your way, I'm leaving, AND I'M NEVER COMING BACK!" Kaya almost regret what she had said, she didn't want Usopp to leave, it was fun with him here and he was so kind. Luffy didn't like where this was going and hissed unconsciously. Ace and Sabo held him close.

"Stupid smelly _butt_-ler! The captains a great guy!" Carrot yelled.

"Yeah, fool!"

"Dumb bell!"

"Knucklehead!" Luffy yelled.

"You too Luffy?" Zoro said. Nami held the three boys back while Ace and Sabo calmed their younger brother.

"GET OFF THIS PROPERTY AT ONCE!"

* * *

**Ah whoops my bad…I think I chose a bad place to end…Well here is Chapter Six! The chapter which has many dialogue! Yeah sorry about that…I'll try and add less next time, that was kind of a mistake, but I'm not quite sure what else to add. Er hope you enjoy this one…again, I'll get to work on the seventh. Sorry that its kind of short...**


	7. Chapter 7

** Hello, nice to meet you all again! I don't know if this story is even good or enjoyable, but I have a reason why I think so down below after this chapter is done…Do people even read these? Well I hope you enjoy Chapter 7…**

**Chapter 7 – A Plan Is Needed**

Sigh. They've been going at this for a while, just sighing and staring at the clear blue sky. Ace rested his chin on one hand as he yawned. He was currently sitting on a wooden fence, one leg hanging down and the other hand on the fence. Sabo was sitting next to him at the moment, his top hat shadowing his eyes. Sabo sat cross legged on the floor and his arms were crossed as well. Next by his side, leaning against the fence was the pole their little brother had gifted to him. Speaking of their little brother, he disappeared into thin air once the group had gotten out of that mansion. Nami was sitting next to Ace on the fence and Zoro was leaning against a nearby tree, probably sleeping. The three kids went off to find their 'captain'.

"Hey, can we please stop sighing now and try to think of where Luffy went?" Nami interrupted, Ace's eyes narrowed lazily, the peace and quiet was now gone, but she was right. Zoro woke up, god knows how, but he heard the mention of the name Luffy and decided that he should at least hear this out. Everyone had grown fond of the boy, even though he may be a little oblivious and moronic at times.

"Yeah good point, but where to start?" Sabo said, shadows lifted from his eyes as he looked up. "We already searched around the village and the forest, but no sign of him." His facial expression went from normal to a worried look. Ace huffed and fiddled with his dagger that he obtained when all three brothers somehow washed up where Zoro was about to be killed. He just completely forgot about it throughout the journey.

"Ahhh…This is so ridiculous, why does Luffy have to run off right now?" Ace whined. "Can I just please burn down that mansion and the forest?" Nami gave a light punch to his arm.

"No are you kidding? That nice girl is still inside that mansion, and plus you might kill innocent lives by burning down the forest." She hissed. Ace fell onto the floor and rolled over onto his back.

"Yeah, but…" He complained and paused, he decided it would be best not to argue with Nami. "Okay, let's just go look for him, we've been staying here for a few good minutes." Ace stood up and dusted off his pants and shirt while walking off in a random direction.

"And how are you planning to do that?" Nami asked her eye twitching slightly. "You're just walking off in some random direction in hopes of finding your brother is that it?"

"Nah, I and Sabo have developed a 'Luffy-sensor'!" Ace laughed out loud. "We don't know how, we just find him when he gets lost; it happened a lot when we were pretty young." Sabo chuckled as he remembered the first time he got lost, it was when Luffy had carelessly followed a butterfly, he sure got a good scolding from both of them.

"Yeah let's just follow our instincts for now." Sabo agreed and stood up, his blue coat gently waving in the wind. Zoro heaved himself up and walked towards the two brothers. Nami deciding that there was no other leads to choose from, she went along.

"Okay, but if your so called instincts are wrong then you owe me for wasting my time!" She warned, but at the same time, she didn't really mean it, in truth actually Nami was really worried for the small boy. She just didn't show it. Sabo nodded and turned around walking in a random direction, he "feels" the need to go to. Off in the distance was a strange man walking backwards with a hand on his hat. The man followed the road with thoughts replaying over in his mind.

-Meanwhile-

Usopp scowled as he crossed his arms. Currently the sniper was sitting on a cliff's edge, staring at the sea and thinking about his great father, and that stupid butler. How dare he mock his father, who was so brave enough to risk his life every day out at sea. Sure he did leave Usopp and his mom, but he didn't hate his dad for that, in fact instead of hatred was respect and pride. Next to Usopp was a random tree, an old one and atop that trees branch, was a shadow. The shadow's ears moved slightly and its tail twitched in impatience.

"Hi!" Luffy cried out swinging upside down in front of Usopp. Luffy's tail was supporting him by handing onto the branch. Usopp yelped, a bit too loud, for two reasons. One being the boy having abnormal ears and tail, secondly he appeared out of nowhere.

"W-w-why do you h-have those?" Usopp stuttered pointing at his features. Luffy looked up and touched his ears with a confused face.

"These? Well I was born with them, Ace and Sabo never let me out like this in public though…" Luffy stuck out his lower lip and pouted. "But since this is a..s-s-seclu…."

"Secluded?" Usopp inquired, trying to answer for the boy.

"Yeah secluded area! I thought I would show you, since I know you're a good guy!" Luffy exclaimed dropping down and sat on Usopp's lap. The sniper looked surprised at the action, but then smiled warmly as he stroked Luffy's black raven hair softly which earned soft purrs.

"Man though, I was really scared and surprised!" Usopp cried out. "You should've told me this earlier so my heart wouldn't almost pop!" Luffy snickered.

"Silly your heart can't pop!" Luffy giggled and now Usopp pouted.

"Are you saying you don't believe the Great Captain Usopp?" He said with a grin. "If you apologize I may tell you some of my great adventures." Luffy's eyes shined at the thought.

"Okay sorry Captain Usopp! Can you tell me now? Please, please, please?" Luffy begged, his tail sticking up in excitement. Usopp snickered, the kid was so easy to fool, but at the same time Luffy was adorable in his own ways. Luffy settled in Usopp's lap, his ears perked up in full attention. Usopp was going to have to get used to those, he's still pretty shocked.

"Alright let me tell you the time when I met the great pirate, one of the youkou no less, Whitebeard!" Usopp began and the small boy surprisingly kept silent throughout the story. Luffy yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily after Usopp finished his story. Before he fell asleep however, two voices were heard beneath the cliff both were currently sitting on. Usopp warily looked down trying to see who was talking at the moment and his eyes widened as he saw who was there. It was the butler and a strange man. Luffy's ears moved forward, straining to hear what they were saying.

"Django, I had clearly instructed you to keep a low profile, so what in the world were you doing walking in the middle of the village?" Klahadore calmly said.

"Don't be silly, it's not like I stand out!" Django protested. Klahadore ignored the excuses and proceeded to move on with the conversation.

"Well? Have you prepared everything necessary to carry out the plan?" Klahadore asked, pushing up his glasses with the palm of one hand. Django nodded.

"Of course I have, operation 'Murder Miss Kaya' is ready to go anytime." He replied. Luffy's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. Usopp looked confused, he couldn't hear what they were saying at all, maybe Luffy had better hearing?

"Django please don't say 'murder' it sounds so sinister…" Klahadore sighed.

"Oh right 'accident'. It's going to be an 'accident' right _Captain Kuro_." Django replied casually.

"Quiet fool, I discarded that name three years ago, don't ever call me that again." The butler warned. "_You're_ the captain now." Luffy's tail twitched as his eyes narrowed, he didn't like this one bit.

"To tell you the truth though, I wasn't very too sure about this plan…" Django admitted Kuro raised an eyebrow in a questioning look. "It was crazy, all of a sudden you quit pirating, you taught us all how to work without you and we helped spread the rumor that you'd been executed. You came to this village and now we're back three years later just like you had ordered. You've never steered us wrong before, so I made sure to do everything you asked, but I better get my part of the share."

"Of course you will, if the plan goes perfectly." Kuro scoffed.

"If its murder then I'm your man!" Django said with pride.

"Listen you can't just slit Miss Kaya's throat, or anything that crude." Kuro informed while walking up to the hypnotist. "Her death must appear to be an unfortunate accident, don't forget it."

"I understand the plan perfectly, we wait for your signal, then we attack the village, we kill-uh we 'accident' the girl to death and you inherit her fortune!" Django said.

"Fool! Use your brain! How am I going to inherit her fortune?" Kuro asked.

"Well you just have to serve her…" Django began.

"Listen you idiot, this is the crucial part of the plan, before you kill her you hypnotize her and you make her write a will that says she leaves her entire fortune to her faithful butler, Klahadore!" Luffy's tail bristled, he was beginning to get pissed off.

"_That's_ how I will inherit her vast fortune very naturally, and I've spent the last three years earning the trust of everyone around her. No one would question it if she left everything to me, I've earned it." Kuro smirked confidently.

"Oh that's why, but putting that aside hurry and give the signal. Your- I mean _my _crew is getting really antsy and it looks as if they want to cut each other's throats by now!" Django exclaimed. Luffy held onto Usopp's overalls tightly in anger.

"Usopp they're going to murder Kaya and the villagers, they're pirates!" Luffy whispered. Usopp looked surprised and then it turned into one of anger. First that butler mocks his father and the next thing is that he was going to kill one of his closest friends and the village that he was born in. But what could he do? Usopp looked devastated. He was weak, the only thing he could do was lie and how could he save the village, his friend? Luffy noticed this and whacked Usopp across the face.

"Hey wasn't that person your friend? Isn't this your village?" The boy asked with a serious tone. "Now are you going to help me protect it or not?" Usopp chuckled to himself; he was getting scolded by a small boy. Courage welled up inside as he grabbed his sling shot from his bag. He leaned a little bit over the cliff, just enough to get a good aim, and shot at Kuro's face. The small metal ball broke his glasses and pierced his right eye. Kuro yelled in pain and agony as he quickly removed the ball from his eye and blood trickled down his cheek.

"Oi! You better not hurt Kaya or the village or else you have to answer to the Great Captain Usopp!" He yelled atop the cliff. But he didn't look menacing at all, in fact Usopp's legs were shaking like jelly. Luffy sweat dropped, so much for courage.

"But still, that was so cool Usopp you hit him right in the eye!" Luffy cried out happily and amazed. The said man puffed out his chest in pride although he himself was pretty surprised about it as well.

"Why you little lying rat." Kuro hissed venomously. "You just made me lose a perfect eye." Usopp gulped and inserted another pachinko ball.

"Then you better not raid the village or else I'll take your other eye as well!" He threatened. Kuro only scoffed as he wiped off the blood from his face.

"Django, I presume you could take this into your own hands?" Kuro coolly asked, but Django knew that inside, his former captain was really pissed off.

"Of course, I'll take him down in a few seconds." Django walked up and held up a metal ring. "When I count to three, you'll fall asleep." Usopp looked confused, what in the world was that man talking about. Luffy's ears perked up from underneath his hat.

"One…Two…" He began, Luffy immediately pushed Usopp away and closed his eyes. "DJANGO!" Usopp was too busy falling to notice the ring and Luffy had his eyes shut so instead the hypnotist fell asleep as he fell onto the floor snoring. Kuro's expression darkened as he kicked the man awake.

"Oh crap I messed up…" Django looked up and noticed Luffy. "And it seems there's a second rat to kill." Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"Just kill the boy, no one would believe that liar in the first place." Kuro scoffed. Luffy looked down on all fours, interested in how the man fell asleep.

"Usopp it's magic!" He cried out in joy, forgetting the fact that the man had wanted to kill his new friend. Usopp held his head with one hand, he was still dazed from the unexpected shove from the boy. Django grinned, this was his chance.

"Hey boy, want to see a magic trick from me once more?" He asked, still grinning. Luffy was skeptical, but he never saw magic before. He pondered for a few seconds and smiled.

"Yeah! I want to see!" He cried out. Django held up the metal ring once again.

"Alright, look closely at this ring, when I count to three, you'll fall asleep, alright?" Luffy nodded vigorously focusing his attention on the ring.

"One…" The ring swayed to the left, Luffy's eyes never left it. "Two…" Usopp snapped out of his daze and looked at Luffy who was currently staring down, his front part hanging above the cliff.

"Oi, Luffy that's…" Usopp began.

"DJANGO!" Luffy's figure began to slump on the floor slowly as his eye lids felt heavy.

"Usopp…I feel…tired…" The small boy then finally fell asleep and his body weight focused on the front causing him to fall off the cliff.

"LUFFY!" Usopp cried out quickly scrambling up and reaching for the boy, but Django interfered by throwing a small rock, hitting the sniper's arm. Usopp recoiled and Luffy's head crashed into the rocky earth. Blood began to seep out slowly through the cracks. "LUFFY!" Usopp yelled once again, desperate to find out if he was still alive or not. His body didn't budge, no small movements were seen. Kuro scowled and walked off, Django close behind, their plan is now guaranteed to work now that the nuisance was out of the way. Tears slowly fell out of Usopp's eyes as he stifled a sob. He let a child die right in front of his eyes. If only he was stronger, enough to have kept reaching his hand out, there would be a chance to save him! His fist pounded on the grass repeatedly.

"Damn it…Damn it…Damn it!" Usopp cried. Rage and Determination filled his whole body as he got up, tears still present and ran off. He would not let the same fate fall towards the village and Kaya! Usopp made sure to keep a note in his mind to give a proper burial to the small boy once he got back, but hopefully, maybe Luffy would still be alive by the time he got back. His thoughts were disrupted as he crashed into something, or someone.

"Ouch..who the hell..?" Ace whipped his head around, finding a crying Usopp. "Oh hey it's you again, the kids were trying to find you and…" He paused, seeing the tears roll down Usopp's cheeks. Sabo stepped up, holding out a hand.

"Hey are you alright, what happened?" He questioned. Usopp's eyes widened. How was he going to tell them about Luffy's death? Sabo held a confused look as Usopp sat there unresponsive. Nami walked up and grabbed the front of Usopp's overalls.

"Hey, listen, I don't know what happened, but did you see Luffy?" She asked with a dark look upon her face. Nami had no time to waste on whatever he was crying about, it's been hours ever since Luffy was with them and she was getting restless.

"No I didn't see him anywhere!" Usopp lied, sweat breaking out on his face.

"**You're lying, now let me ask again, did you see him, or not?**" Nami narrowed her eyes dangerously as she tightened her grip. Usopp gave in and fell limp as Nami let go. He slumped to the ground on his knees while looking at one hand.

"He….Luffy…died..." He whispered. All four looked in confusion.

"I'm sorry but can you repeat that?" Sabo asked politely. But there was a knot in his stomach; Sabo had a bad feeling of what was going to come next.

"Luffy died!" Usopp cried out. Zoro and Ace immediately rushed forward. Zoro held one katana down towards Usopp's throat while Ace had a flaming fist.

"This isn't a funny joke Usopp, we're tired of playing your games…" Zoro warned dangerously. Nami fell to her knees as well, he was lying right? She hoped he was. Sabo dropped his pole in disbelief.

"I'M NOT LYING IF I WAS THEN WOULD I BE CRYING?!" Usopp sobbed, his voice beginning to crack. Ace's fist quickly went out as his eyes widened. Zoro sheathed his sword, shadows looming over his eyes. Silence reigned over the group. Nami covered her mouth with one hand as she stared at the ground and this time Sabo ran forward.

"THAT CAN'T BE TRUE! LUFFY CAN'T BE DEAD!" Sabo refused to accept his words, he absolutely refused to believe his brother was dead.

"THAT'S RIGHT HE CAN'T BE DEAD…!" Ace yelled in outrage, but his voice lowered. "He can't be…right?" This time it was Usopp's turn to be outraged.

"LISTEN HERE I SAW HIM DIE WITH MY OWN TWO EYES! I TRIED TO SAVE HIM BUT I COULDN'T OKAY?! I BLAME MYSELF BECAUSE I WAS TOO WEAK!" Usopp held Sabo's shirt while shaking him violently. After a while Usopp dropped Sabo from his grasp. "I can't express how sorry I am…But I am truly sorry, you can kill me if you'd like but before you do, at least let me save my village and friend…" Sabo stared into open space, his younger brother…dead?

"Sabo!" Ace hissed. The eldest brother quickly snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head slowly towards a fuming Ace. "Lu is strong…He can't be dead." A small amount of sadness and doubt washed away at his words .

"No, we wouldn't kill you Usopp, we're not cruel and heartless people that take revenge, but can you at least tell us where Luffy is, there's still a chance that he's alive..!" Sabo's voice showed a hint of desperation at the end of his sentence. Usopp slowly stood up and walked towards the direction he had come from.

"Fine, but I can't assure you that he's alive so don't get your hopes up…" He muttered sadly. The small crew nodded their heads in conformation and with small hope. After a few minutes which appeared like hours they group arrived at the cliff where Usopp and Luffy had encountered Kuro and Django discussing their plans. Usopp pointed down to where Luffy's body laid the blood that seeped out from cracks, now dry.

"I need to go warn the village and Kaya, I'm going to be right back." Usopp said, running off, deep inside of him there was a small spark of hope that the small boy was still alive, but that would have to be confirmed later. The crew wasted no time on getting down, and Ace quickly destroyed the rocks around his dear brother's head. Sabo carefully lifted Luffy out while Zoro had obtained the boy's straw hat. Nami put her index finger on Luffy's throat to check is there was a pulse alive.

"Well?" Ace asked impatiently. Nami sweated, she felt no pulse, desperately she moved her finger slightly and it was there, faint, but still there.

"He has a pulse!" She cried out, startling the other members. Everyone sighed in relief and then came the hard part, keeping that pulse alive. The sun set as they worked.

"Sabo could you please get me some water to clean this blood, somebody get some sort of cloth or even better, bandages if you have any." Nami ordered, no one complained or hesitated as they carried out her orders. After a few bloody and messy hours, Luffy was finally cleaned up and was resting on Zoro's lap. Crickets began to chirp as the moon rose and night fell, no one fell asleep since their minds were buzzing with questions and worry. A rustle quickly caused the crew to stand up, except for Zoro and got prepared for what was coming. When Usopp appeared they sighed in relief.

"Ow, ow…What's wrong everyone, is Luffy still alive?" He asked, holding his shoulder.

"Yeah come sit down here, you look like you've had some trouble." Sabo offered. Usopp smiled in glee, he was still alive! The sniper sat down and the group fell into a deep conversation.

-The Next Morning-

"MEEEEAAAAAAAAAT!" Luffy wailed, jumping up. "WHERE'S HAT?! HAAAAAAT!"

"Yep, that's our brother for you, an annoying alarm clock." Ace grumbled. Usopp awoke the others from their sleep and tapped a barrel next to him.

"Okay so you all remember the plan right? Half of us go to one side, while the second group goes to the other side." Usopp said. Everyone nodded.

"Here Luffy your hat, you've been worrying us sick almost the whole night, but it's good to see you awake again." Sabo smiled while handing over the old and worn straw hat. Luffy grinned, completely unaware of what had happened before.

"Thanks Sabo, now where's breakfast?" He demanded with a serious face. Nami laughed and kneeled down towards Luffy's eye level.

"We're not going to have breakfast at the moment, just follow your brother's okay?" She said. Luffy pouted.

"But I'm hungry Nami!" He whined. Nami sighed and an idea came into mind.

"Okay then if you don't follow your brothers you won't be able to see the new ship and you won't get meat and fish for breakfast." She smiled sweetly. Luffy had a look of devastation as he nodded quickly and dashed off, perching on Sabo's shoulders.

"What are you now? A bird?" Ace laughed. Luffy's tail moved out from his clothing and whacked Ace in the face. Sabo laughed this time.

"You looking for a fight with me?" Ace narrowed his eyes playfully. Luffy giggled and launched onto Ace's arm.

"Yeah! Let's fight! I'll win this time Ace!" He grinned.

"Guys can you save your play time for later? Let's get moving!" Nami urged. It was nice seeing them all relaxed, but they had a friend to help. Sabo and Ace nodded, with Luffy now clinging onto Ace's head. Everyone then parted ways to their designated area.

Group one consisted of Nami, Usopp, and Zoro whilst group two consisted of Luffy, Sabo, and Ace. Last night they had already planned what to do, now what was left was to fill in Luffy about what to do and complete the following steps.

-With Group One-

"Okay I hope they don't appear over here…" Nami shivered. She did NOT want to face a whole crew of pirates. Usopp was in the same situation, his legs were shaking harshly. Zoro scoffed at their antics and rested on hand on one of his swords.

"I hope that we get some action." He yawned. "I don't believe I've had a good fight in a few days." Usopp ran ahead, he recognized the area. All three stopped and looked down a slope.

"Okay, so I got the oil here…" Usopp muttered and poured barrels of oil. "Let's hope that the others remembered to do what I did."

"Well Sabo's with them, so they should be fine." Nami reassured. Usopp nodded and sat down along with Nami, while Zoro stood.

"If it isn't here I'm leaving to the other side." The swordsman declared.

"You know I'm not surprised by that." Nami said dully. "Now let's be quiet and wait."

-With Group Two-

"Ace, this is so boring!" Luffy whined. All three reached their destination, the north slope. Sabo tilted his hat upwards to see the sun rising.

"What time do you even think they'll come?" Sabo asked to Ace. The said teen only shrugged while settling himself on a branch of a tree. Luffy quickly climbed up where Ace lay and snuggled himself next to him. Sabo followed along and jumped up on the same tree, squatting down, pole in hand on a different branch. In his mind he reviewed what to do if the pirates came towards the area.

-oOo-

_"Okay so first off what happened to you Usopp?" Nami questioned looking at the now patched up wound on his shoulder. _

_ "Well I tried to warn the villagers of pirates that were coming, they were also the same ones that hurt your brother…" Usopp grimaced. Ace and Sabo's hands were clenched tightly at the mention of Luffy getting hurt. Zoro closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. "The villagers wouldn't believe me because of all the lies I had told in the past…"_

_ "You deserved that…" The rest of the group said with a dull tone of voice. Luffy's tail thumped against Zoro's leg as if he were awake and agreed with the opinion._

_ "OI!" Usopp protested, but continued with his small story. "So then they ran after me with things they could get a hold of, but I ran up a tree so they couldn't find me. Then I tried Kaya's place, I thought she might listen to me at least, but apparently she despised me after what I did." _

_ "Wait right there, what do you mean 'she despised' you?" Sabo asked. "I mean yeah sure you did hit the butler, but Kaya appeared to look like a reasonable woman…"_

_ "Well the thing is, Luffy had cheered me up and helped me take a stand, so I shot a pachinko ball into that butler's eye and I still don't regret it..! Even if Kaya does hate me…" Usopp said sadly. Sabo decided to not ask any further. "And then a servant of hers came outside with a gun thinking that I was trying to kidnap her and that's where I got this small wound." Usopp held up his bandaged shoulder. "And so now I don't know what to do…" _

_ "Well take a stand and fight." Ace suggested. Usopp looked up towards Ace._

_ "You really think I can?!" He yelled in annoyance. "Your brother almost died because of me and you really think I could take on a while crew of pirates?!" Sabo thumped his pole gently against the ground to gain the groups attention._

_ "Not alone you can, but with us you'll be able to save whomever you care about." Sabo grinned, showing some of the gaps between his teeth. "You're our friend now, and friends help each other!" Usopp's body shook in joy and gratefulness. _

_ "Thank you…." He whispered while bowing on the floor. "Please, I beg you, help me save this village and Kaya!" The crew smiled._

_ "Of course, that's what Luffy would've said!" Ace chuckled. "Now let's get a plan going!" _

_ "When do you ever create plans in the first place…?" Sabo scoffed and Ace pouted. "Well first of all where do you think they'll be coming Usopp?" _

_ "Probably the North or South slopes." He replied. "Those two are the only entrances and access to the village." Sabo looked thoughtful for a few seconds. _

_ "So then let's split up into groups and wait there." Sabo said. "We don't know exactly when they're coming so we could be patient and wait it out, I'll be with my brothers..." He gestured towards Ace and a sleeping Luffy. "…while you Zoro and Nami will be the other group." _

_ "Wait!" Nami interrupted. "Isn't that a bit unfair I mean in our group we have a swordsman who has no sense of direction and a liar, I mean, I can't even fight myself!" _

_ "OI!" Zoro and Usopp yelled, offended by her words. _

_ "Well then you should just put a collar and leash on Zoro to make sure he doesn't run off." Ace smiled making a fire collar and leash with his hands. "And just for fun you should make him bark like a dog if he does get lost."_

_ "HELL NO!" Zoro yelled. "I won't get lost this time I'll make sure to follow you!" _

_ "Okay…whatever you say." Nami said, still skeptical, Zoro scowled. _

_ "Calm down guys, Zoro is strong, I believe as strong as me or maybe even more, so you two should be fine, besides aren't you both good at running away?" Sabo gestured towards Nami and Usopp. "I don't want to get separated from my brothers either, can't you reconsider it?" Nami sighed. _

_ "Fine, but if something goes wrong then we'll need a distraction or signal." She said. _

_ "Oh that's already ready to go, I got a few barrels of oil for our side and a few traps." Usopp declared proudly while tapping his bag. "I'm pretty sure you three don't need anything considering how confident you are." _

_ "Of course not, we fight fair…in a way." Ace smiled darkly. "And also we'll inform our little brother of what we discussed, I'm sure he'll agree with it." _

_ "Alright well let's get a little sleep right now, I don't think they'll attack this early, if that's the case then I'm sure one of us will wake up." Sabo said. Everyone nodded and went into comfortable positions while slowly falling asleep. _

-oOo-

"Hey Sabo!" Ace yelled, Sabo snapped out of his thoughts and heard loud cries. "Looks like we got the lucky side." Sabo grinned while swinging his pole in excitement. Ace held up a flaming fist and Luffy jumped in joy.

"Let's run wild."

**I have no excuses why this is so late and for that I'm sorry…But here it is! Yeah..Another bad chapter QAQ I cry my eyes out. But this story is kind of like ventilation for my mind! Oh I have a few questions for readers! Would you like me to put in the filler episodes along with a little extra at the end? I wanted to know if you readers would enjoy these extra filler and stories added along the way. Well you could answer this if you'd like.**

**Ciaossu! **


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